Interview with Sam Reese

I met Sam Reese while I was working in my internship with CI Records over the summer. Sam was tour managing for An Early Ending, a metal/rock band out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Other bands listed on the tour were Texas in July, Rosaline, and Amarna Reign. I interviewed him to get his advice on tour managing.

(Sam is third row, second from left)

Danelle Miller: What initially made you want to tour manage?

Sam Reese: I always enjoyed working with bands and the music industry. The thought of traveling the country was just a bonus.

  
DM: How did you get your start in tour managing?

SR: One day I got a phone call and the opportunity just presented itself. It was really last minute thing.

  
DM: Who have you been a tour manager for?

SR: I have worked with Texas in July and An Early Ending

  
DM: How long have you been tour managing?

SR: I have been out for the last two summers.

    
DM: What are some personality traits you feel a tour manager should have?

SR: You must be outgoing and personable. You have to be able to talk with people and work through situations that sometimes aren't the best, but you have to find a compromise.

  
DM: What aspects of the music industry should a tour manager have strong knowledge about?

SR: Having knowledge of contracts is a big help. Being able to keep good records and organization is a plus.
     

DM: Before you go on tour with a band, how do you prepare to go out on the road?

SR: I meet with the bands and managers. We have a pre tour meeting and go over all the details for the up coming shows. It always helps to see your friends and family before you head out also.

    
DM: What are the duties and responsibilities of a tour manager?

SR: The over all responsibility is to make sure everything is going the way it should. You over see the entire tour so that involves you planning the routes to take, what time to load in for the show, if there is catering provided, finding a place to stay after the show. You are the contact person for the managers and booking agents so you coordinate with them as well.

    
DM: What is your daily routine as a tour manager?

SR: You are the first person awake and make sure everyone else is ready to leave. You write up a daily sheet that includes all the details of the upcoming day. You advance the shows with the booking agents and document all expenses and accounting information.

    
DM: When you advance a show, what questions do you typically ask?

SR: The main questions such as what time is load in and what time do the doors open. You ask if there is catering provided and if they might possibly know of a place to stay that is close by after the show.

  
DM: When you arrive at the venue, what duties or responsibilities do you have for that day? Is there a routine you go through?

SR: First you find out where to load in at and meet with the promoter/booking agent. You go over all the details of the show and be sure everyone else knows. You want to be sure you have a good spot to set up your merch.

    
DM: Do you have any stories of shows that have gone well for you as a tour manager?

SR: Almost all the shows we did went really well for everyone. You have to keep in mind that a lot of the time this is your first time trough the town and most of these kids have never heard your band. You can't always expect a sell out crowd but you can be sure the people there have a great time.

  
DM: Do you have any stories of shows that have gone wrong? What advice would you give in this instance?

SR: There are more than a few shows that could have gone much better. You simply try to make the best of it and keep everyones spirits high. It can be easy to get frustrated but that doesn't help anyone. You have to do your best to come to an agreement that has everyones best interests in mind.

    
DM: Do you have any memorable stories from tour? If so, would you please share one?

SR: There is never a dull moment on the road. Playing at Summerfest in Milwaukee was great. Being in a different city every night leaves you with a ton of great memories and experiences.

    
DM: For someone interested in tour managing, what advice would you give them?

SR: Go for it! Get to know a few bands and the people who work with them. Let them know you are interested in working with them and help out any way you can. You might have to quit your job that pays the bills so it never hurts to have money saved up. If its what you want to do though it is totally worth it!

Tour Manager Basics

The best definition of a tour manager is the person who manages the band while on tour, also seen as a "tour mom" or "tour dad" (McDonald, 2010). TM's need to keep everyone's emotions in check so war doesn't break out within the band (McDonald, 2010). If you think about it this way, the band is traveling with their best friends in a cramped, confined space for weeks or months at a time, so you need to be the level-headed mediator.


Job duties of tour managers include “confirming reservations; managing tour finances; getting everyone where they need to be on time; dealing with promoters, venue managers, ticket agents, etc.; and confirming show times” (McDonald, 2010). While running the route of a tour, a TM's best friend is the Tour Book. A tour book contains the itinerary, outlining the address of the venue, the promoter’s contact information, the distance to the destination, bands on the bill, door time, show time, admission, percentage of merchandise sales to be split, capacity of the venue, load-in, sound check, and other engagements (Crowe, 2008). Also included are copies of the contracts. The tour book basically gives a day-to-day overview of the whole tour.

While on tour, the TM will need to advance the show. Advancing basically means, “to call the venue and set up the show” (Crowe, 2008). Crowe (2008), in his article Tour Management, discussed his procedure for advancing, which was to call the venue a week ahead of time and ask questions. The questions he chose to ask were the date of the show, the city, the venue, load-in time, sound check time, door time, set time for openers, set time for headliners, length of set changes, guest list, merchandise location within the venue, the venue’s cut of merchandise sales, who was selling the merchandise, and directions to the venue (Crowe, 2008). Another part of advancing is confirming the rider. The rider contains information on technical and production requirements and hospitality/catering (Crowe, 2008). Crowe (2008) recalls that during advancement, he would relay information on the band size, number of inputs, and technical needs. Crowe (2008) would also verify the front of house manager, the monitors’ engineer, and the lighting director. Jimmy Boswell, tour manager for Texas In July and With Life In Mind, added “I also ask about the guarantee for the band, green room accommodations, and parking” (personal communication, October 24, 2010). Advancing helps ensure that all areas are covered before the tour reaches their destination.

A final aspect of TM'ing is handling the financials.. Crowe (2008) discusses the different financial situations during the night of the show that a TM might encounter: “The most important figures were attendance, gross box office receipts, split point, and overage. Other addenda may include expense reports, audits (ticket sales reports), and proof of advertising.” Guarantees, or the contracted money to be paid to the band, can come in three forms: a flat guarantee, where set amount is paid; GBOR percentage, where a set percentage is paid; and guarantee + points, which provides a set amount, plus additional payment after a specified amount is made (Crowe, 2008). The final type of financial a TM will encounter is a Per Diem or “per day” expense money (McDonald, 2010). As a tour manager he/she must divide the money between the band members in order for them to cover daily expenditures. As far as payment for a tour manager, he/she typically gets paid “a base salary + expenses + a p.d. [per diem] (for incidental expenses)” (McDonald, 2010).

After reading these basics, you get an idea of the job of a TM. If you feel like you can handle all of these tasks as well as keep your emotions and those of others in check, then you may be cut out to be a TM. But, the best way to find out is just to get out there and do it!

Resources:

Crowe, S. (2008). Tour management. Retrieved from http://www.starpolish.com/advice/article.asp?id=92&segment=1

Howell, J. (2010). Band tour manager job description. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6516266_band-tour-manager-job-description.html

McDonald, H. (2010). Tour manager career profile. Retrieved from http://musicians.about.com/od/musiccareerprofiles/p/tourmanagerprofile.htm

McDonald, H. (2010). Tour manager. Retrieved from http://musicians.about.com/od/qz/g/tourmanager.htm

McDonald, H. (2010). P.D. – per diem. Retrieved from http://musicians.about.com/od/ip/g/perdiem.htm

Hello!

I'm creating a blog for my Executive Leadership class at Full Sail University. I will be blogging about tour managing. Hope you enjoy!