Q & A
Each month, MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.
Tour Routing:
Routed and Non-Routed dates, and Private Shows.
Q. What are routed and
non-routed dates, and is one better than the other? J.T.
A. First let's define some terms
for readers who may be unfamiliar with terms that pertain to booking tours:
Routing The
route a tour takes across the country or around the world. ("The routing is
all over the place. Who did the routing for this tour, a demented octopus?")
Tours are usually routed by the artist's agent with input from the artist's
management, usually 6-9 months in advance. Most major tours are routed to
follow the sun as much as possible in order to avoid weather-related travel
problems and ensure best attendance; warm climates in Winter, cooler
climates in Summer.
To route a tour
To map out the route and dates the tour will take from city to city. ("I
wouldn't go in there. He's in with Mike routing the tour.") Tours are
usually routed by the artist's agent with input from the artist's
management, usually 6-9 months in advance. (The artist's participation is
often minimal because at this time the artist is usually in the studio
finishing the album or doing photo shoots for the artwork and promo.) Most
major tours are routed to follow the sun as much as possible in order to
avoid weather-related travel problems and ensure best attendance; warm
climates in Winter, cooler climates in Summer.
Corporate date A
private show an artist plays for a corporation's convention, party, or
retreat.
Private date A
show an artist plays that is not open to the public, such as a wedding,
private party, invitation-only fundraiser, or corporate convention.
Sometimes called a corporate date.
To answer your question, a routed date is a show that falls in the natural
path of travel between two other shows that were previously booked. It's
often a private gig on a night off.
A non-routed date is a show that does not fall in the natural path of travel
between two other shows that were previously booked. They are usually either
private gigs on a night off or special "one night only" performances when
the artist is on a break from touring.
Because of the extra expenses involved in non-routed dates (travel, crew and
equipment transportation, equipment storage expenses) and the family time
the artist and crew are losing, some artists charge more for non-routed
private dates than for routed private dates...kind of like the rock star
equivalent of time-and-a-half. (The exact difference in price varies from
artist to artist.) From a talent buyer's perspective, New Year's Eve shows
are usually the most expensive non-routed dates, because that's usually the
only time major artists have to vacation with their families.
To illustrate routed and non-routed dates, using a US map or road atlas,
here's an example of with a fictional artist we'll call the Map Band.
Let's say the Map Band's routing is West to East, and they have shows booked
in Phoenix, AZ and San Antonio, TX. The venue in San Antonio is needed for a
sporting event, so the band ends up with a couple of extra days between show
days and travel days. The big promoter who covers Tucson, AZ and El Paso, TX
doesn't feel the Map Band has a large enough fan base to fill a large venue
in either of those cities.
Meanwhile, a corporate events planner in Tucson offers the Map Band a
private gig at a corporate convention on one of the days off. Extra days off
are expensive, so the Map Band takes this "routed" date in Tucson, then
continues the tour.
Continuing the West to East routing across the Southern US by way of I-10,
the Map Band again has an extra day off between Baton Rouge, LA and
Montgomery, AL. No offers have come in for Jackson, MI, which would be a
logical place for a routed private date. But, a socialite in Chicago, IL
wants the Map Band to play at her debutante daughter's coming out party,
which falls during their extra day off--and is willing to pay top dollar to
make her Baby's day special. So, the Map Band flies in to play this
non-routed date with minimal crew and equipment (renting whatever's needed
in Chicago). Since crew and equipment expenses still have to be paid on
non-show days and some equipment will probably need storage, the Map Band's
fee for this private non-routed date is higher than the private routed date
in Tucson.
Hope that helps!
Randi Reed
Editor-in-Chief
MusicBizAdvice.com
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