The difference between touring and performing is the difference between plural and single. A performance has an isolated characte whereas a tour is a part of a carreer plan. For example to promote a new album or to work on a reputation. There are two ways to go on tour: as a support act or as Headliner.

If you are the support act, be pleased if you earn back the costs, you will probably not gain anything financially. See it as a valuable investment. If you are support act for a famous band, you can perform for a full house and reach more people than you would on your own. It can bring you more fans, especially when the main act has the same music style.

Facilities
Make sure you make an itenerary with all the dates, times, information on the show, location, addresses and phonenumbers.  A tour manager and a crew can organize all peripheral events such as transport, equipment, contact with the venues etc. If you can afford it, because it will make the tour more expensive.

Organization
Before you go on tour it’s important to decide who is responsible for what, and who should make the final decisions. Tension can run high during a tour. The more things are discussed and arranged in advance, the better things will go during the tour. Touring makes different demands on people and equipment than sporadic performances do. So it’s advisable to plan in advance how far you can travel between performances, how many days off you need to include in the schedule, and where they should take place.

Tour dates can be somewhat subject to change. Make sure there is always one person who passes on all the necessary information to everyone else – from band to driver to the papers that print concert agendas. It is smart to try to cover yourself contractually against cancelled performances, and to determine in advance who is financially responsible for a cancelled performance if expenses have already been made.

How will the finances be arranged?
All the expenses and income are listed systematically in a budget. It shows which expenses can be covered by which income. The most important points are often the fees you receive and those you have to pay, publicity costs, and expenses arising from defective equipment. You can try to bring in extra income through merchandising, sponsoring, and giving clinics.

More information
- doing business, on project management
- world of music, including information about intermediairies and record companies
- I want to perform with my band