Live Events Managers, Tour Reps
Search and present performance opportunities to an artist’s team and making sure they get executed
Touring and Live Events (also called Tour Marketing, or Touring and Special Events) plays a coordinating role. Internally they synchronize the different departments working on opportunities involving an artist appearance such as radio interviews (promotion department) or TV shows and performances (publicity department). Externally, they work with booking agents, managers, and promoters on tour schedules, budgets, and organization. More broadly, they can be responsible for video-game live streams and even non-performing live opportunities.
“Whenever an artist is live, that’s where our department has the expertise in terms of the production and/or the appearance.”
- Tour and Live Events @Columbia Records
This department is the point of contact for all performance and live opportunities. Created for transparency, their role is to avoid overlapping opportunities, repeated or similar appearances that wouldn’t make sense for the artist, and overbudgeting due to mixed communication or bad scheduling management (e.g. double plane booking by promotion and publicity due to miscommunication - not knowing the TV appearance and radio interview are in the same city).
A big part of working in touring and events is dealing with finances by defining a budget aligned with industry standards, and deciding which opportunities are worth spending it on.
“You don’t want to spend too much, too fast, too soon”
- Tour and Special Events @Interscope
On the production side, they work closely with production and tour managers to make sure an artist has everything they need for a performance. This can include renting gear (e.g. specific guitars and drums), figuring out transportation to get to a show, communicating the nature of the act, how much time they need to be there, how many songs will be performed, if there is a meet and greet, etc.
“Anything that the artist might need to do, I try to know about, so that I can help make sure that when an artist comes in they are as comfortable and prepared as they can be.”
- Tour and Live Events @Columbia Records
Depending on the artist, they can be as involved as helping put a band together for a tour, finding a musical director for the live arrangements, and providing tour support and contributing when income does not meet expenses.
!! LABEL VS RECORD COMPANY !!
They make sure the record has been distributed to DSPs around the world; Spotify, Apple Music but also Gaana and Jioaavn (India), KuGou and QQ (China), etc.
*sometimes the part of the international sales is centralized for all labels under one group* For example, Sony's Global Digital Business & US Sales record division deals with international sales for all Sony Labels (RCA, Arista, Columbia, etc.)
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“Anything that involves an artist's appearance, essence, or fans, we have to make sure this opportunity gets executed from point A to point B”
Tour and Live Events @Columbia Records
Who they work with and what they do
PUBLICITY
- Coordinating with the press team; what interviews are happening, at what time, is there audio, video, are there photos?
- If an artist gets a TV offer, those budgets go through our team
MARKETING/PM
- Knowing when an artist is in cycle to start looking for tour/event opportunities
- Collaborate with Live Nation to allocate the marketing budget (avoid both spending on the same platform & forgetting one)
FINANCE
- Define and negotiate the quarterly budget for each artist
- Ask for more budget when needed
BOOKING AGENT
- Check-in on touring plans to make sure that we get all our ticket holds
- Identify key markets; where to book shows looking at the listeners’ data
TOUR MANAGER
- Figure out when to schedule interviews, promo, etc. by looking at the touring schedule
- Knowing artists’ preferences; is there a meet and greet → if so, the label need staff
BUSINESS MANAGER
- Sending invoices they need to pay
- Working on the budgets
- Coordinating with the press team; what interviews are happening, at what time, is there audio, video, are there photos?
- If an artist gets a TV offer, those budgets go through our team
- Figure out when to schedule interviews, promo, etc. by looking at the touring schedule
- Knowing artists’ preferences; is there a meet and greet → if so, the label need staff
- Sending invoices they need to pay
- Working on the budgets
MARKETING/PM
- Knowing when an artist is in cycle to start looking for tour/event opportunities
- Collaborate with Live Nation to allocate the marketing budget (avoid both spending on the same platform & forgetting one)
FINANCE
- Define and negotiate the quarterly budget for each artist
- Ask for more budget when needed
BOOKING AGENT
- Check-in on touring plans to make sure that we get all our ticket holds
- Identify key markets; where to book shows looking at the listeners’ data
- Distribute artists singles & albums to DSPs on time for the release
- Negotiate business partnerships with DSPs -- Examples:
° Reduced royalties rate per stream for artists of a specific label in exchange for free ad credits
° ‘Artist Social Boost’: DSPs are granted advertising access to an artist's Facebook or Instagram to run
ads offering their followers 3 months free premium. In exchange, the label gets a portion of the profit from the fans signing up through the artist's link
- Partner with DSPs for marketing initiatives such as:
° Billboard in Time Square
° Playlist takeovers
° Example: Olivia Rodrigo's Car Wash with Spotify in LA.
- Licence songs before release
- Make sure the metadata is complete (every detail about the song is filled out - producers, singer, date, title, etc.)
- Curate playlists on streaming platforms to promote their artists
- Establish the number of copies of an album that needs to be produced
- Make sure the production and delivery runs smoothly (with Production Dep)
A music supervisor reaches out to the label with interest in a song. They provide 3 elements for a possible contract and give a scene description and information on the use of the song.
With those elements in mind, the Sync Department defines the licensing fees for the use of that song. The amount usually depends mostly on the artist, scene description and length, and part of the song used.
The label asks for the artist's approval; both on the budget and the use of the song (which project it will be featured on).
Important to know: For a song to be used, it needs the approval of both the master recording (label) and the publisher. This means all songwriters have to approve the use of the song too! And if an artist is also a songwriter they need to approve it twice, once through the label and once through the publisher.
Backline
Backline represents all necessary audio amplification equipment for bands including guitar, bass and keyboard amplifiers, drums, microphone stands, cables, etc.
Once negotiated, the deal has to be sent to the publishers for approval.
This step is necessary legally to ensure that the Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause is respected.
If a music supervisor confirms the use of a song then the license is created.
On their side, they will have to pay a fee for the use of the composition (copyright to the publisher) and a fee for the master (to the label).
“For NY and LA, there is always a member of our team at shows to organize business encounters, escort our partners backstage. It’s kind of a concierge service”
- Tour and Special Events @Interscope
"When there is no covid I travel a lot so I am divided between being with the artist on tours and promotion - with visits to my offices for strategy and planning meetings around the world and in London with my team on a day-to-day basis when we are not traveling. My boss travels much more than I do so we are used to working remotely and maintaining constant communication."
Is a degree required?
The recommended major for the touring & live events department is accounting.
Written by Lou.
Designed by Lou.
Published September 10th 2021
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