Music Funding 101
Transportation And Lodging Options
One of the toughest things for a touring band to handle (meaning, pay for) is to set up the transportation (car, van, bus) and the places to stay (motels, etc) that they will need during a tour. And by "touring," I mean real touring: city to city, state to state, for weeks and months. I don't mean driving out for a weekend and coming back home. And I don't mean just doing things around the hometown, either. Sponsors on TalentFunding.com are expecting to find serious bands that want to live on the road.
Touring is almost always a financial concern, since every artist and every band will go on the road "so long as things are paid for." But for smaller sponsorships, transportation and (especially) lodging can be the most expensive part of the campaign, especially if not done properly. So here are some options, with the lowest cost first:
Stay with fans and travel in a van: This is a standard with some bands, and really costs nothing but fuel. But it's time-intensive because the band must make advance contact and arrangements with fans. And it's not fool-proof; sometimes plans will fall through and the band will have to stay in a motel anyway. After all, the fans are not exactly being paid to be reliable. But for a band who is in contact with a lot of fans around the country (and if the band has a good van) this is the cheapest option, especially for a regional tour in just a few states.
Next option is buying an RV (recreational vehicle or "motor home"): the type that has beds, a shower, kitchen, etc. Good, small ones can be bought used for $3500 to $10,000 USD. Gas mileage is not good, but if the shows are booked carefully and kept close together, an RV will work well. Caution must be used to not buy a new or too-expensive used-RV, since they can get very expensive. If a lot of money is going to be spent, there are far better places to spend it than on an RV.
Next is a bus converted into an RV; like a used school bus or tourist "greyhound" bus. They can be bought used for the same price as an RV, but the conversion will cost quite a bit. The advantage is their very large size. They can carry an eight-member band and tons of equipment easily, which even large RV’s have trouble with. If you are doing a multi-band tour, this option starts to look very good. A used bus, including conversions, could be had for $20,000 USD.
Next, you have to start looking at staying in motels, which really dampens the spirit of those who have to pay for the tour, because the more days the band is on the road, the more the cost goes up. Motel-booking and saving-money (at the same time) is an art in itself. There are so many variables: the city, motel, size, check out time, parking, group rates, corporate accounts, sister motels, usage regulations, and noise considerations, etc. Keeping the cost down becomes critical, and can be done with advance planning.
On the next cost scale are hotels, possibly combined into the venues where the band will be playing. This is certainly the "major label" approach, and should only be considered for very large national sponsorships when using relatively popular bands. At this stage the cost of the hotels is not that large when compared to the massive size of the campaign itself.
I just want to make it a point that you should really fight spending too much on transportation and lodging. This area, along with recording and studio costs, are what I see amateur bands spending enormous amounts of money on because it makes them feel better. The number of extra fans the band reaches by spending more money in these areas is: Zero.
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