# Tour Managers 101

A plain-English primer on the tour manager (TM) — what they do, when to hire one, what they cost, and how the TM differs from a production manager.

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## What a Tour Manager Is

The **tour manager runs the tour day to day** so the artist can focus on performing. If the manager runs the artist's *career*, the TM runs the *road*. They're the single point of accountability from the moment the bus rolls until everyone's home: logistics, money, schedule, people, and problem-solving in real time.

A great TM is calm under pressure, organized to a fault, good with money, and able to "herd cats" — keeping a group of artists and crew on schedule across time zones, late nights, and chaos.

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## Core Responsibilities

**1. Advancing the shows**
- Confirm every detail with each venue/promoter before arrival: schedule, load-in, soundcheck, set times, curfew, hospitality, parking, production specs, guest list, settlement method, and contacts.
- Distribute the **day sheet** (the day's schedule, addresses, times, contacts) to artist and crew each morning.

**2. Settlements & money**
- Reconcile tickets, expenses, splits, and merch at the end of the night and **collect the payout** (guarantee, percentage overages, bonuses).
- Handle the float/cash, pay per diems, track every expense, and keep clean records for the manager and accountant.
- Confirm deposits were received and chase any shortfalls before the set if needed.

**3. Logistics**
- Travel, hotels, ground transport, routing, and timing. Get the right people to the right place with their gear, fed and rested.
- Manage passports/visas/credentials, border crossings, and carnets on international runs.

**4. People management ("herding")**
- Wake-ups, lobby calls, departure times, and keeping the artist and crew on schedule and out of trouble.
- Liaise between the artist, crew, venue, promoter, support act, and management.
- Handle the human stuff — morale, conflicts, fatigue, and the occasional emergency.

**5. Health, safety & contingencies**
- Know the nearest hospital, hold emergency contacts and personnel info, manage illness/injury, weather and security issues, and the call to stop a show if needed.

**6. Reporting up**
- Keep the artist's manager informed: nightly numbers, issues, settlement results, and anything affecting the bigger picture.

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## When to Hire a Tour Manager

You don't need a dedicated TM for a first run of local club dates — early on, the **manager or the artist double as TM**, or a trusted, organized friend handles day sheets and settlements. Hire a real TM when:

- **The runs get long or far** — multi-week routing, fly dates, or international where advancing and logistics become a full-time job.
- **The party grows** — a band plus crew (FOH, monitors, LD, merch) needs someone coordinating everyone.
- **The money gets serious** — guarantees, percentage settlements, and cash floats need a pro who settles correctly every night.
- **The manager's time is better spent elsewhere** — booking, releases, and growth, not driving the van and counting merch.
- **The artist needs to just perform** — when doing it all themselves is hurting the shows.

For small runs, a **part-time/"per-run" TM** is common. As touring scales, the TM becomes a fixed, salaried role.

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## Day Rate Ranges (US, general guidance)

Rates vary widely by experience, tour size, market, and responsibilities. Treat these as **realistic ranges, not quotes** — negotiate per run and confirm what's included.

| Level / Situation | Typical day rate |
|---|---|
| Entry / small club tours, developing acts | **~$150–$250/day** |
| Experienced TM, mid-level touring (theaters, established clubs) | **~$250–$450/day** |
| Senior TM, larger tours / festivals / international | **~$450–$700+/day**, often a weekly salary |
| Top-tier TMs on major tours | **$700–$1,000+/day** or negotiated weekly/tour salary |

Notes:
- TMs are usually paid a **day rate or weekly salary** for show days *and* travel days (sometimes a reduced rate on days off).
- **Per diems** (typically **~$30–$75/day** for meals) are paid on top of the rate, same as the rest of the crew.
- Travel, lodging, and on-the-road expenses are covered by the tour, not the TM's pocket.
- On bigger tours the TM may take a small percentage instead of or on top of a day rate — less common at developing levels.

Budget the TM into the tour P&L early; it's a core cost, not an afterthought.

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## TM vs. Production Manager (PM)

On small tours, one person does both. As tours scale, the roles split:

| | **Tour Manager (TM)** | **Production Manager (PM)** |
|---|---|---|
| **Focus** | The whole tour: money, people, logistics, schedule | The technical production of the show |
| **Owns** | Advancing, settlements, travel, hotels, per diems, herding, reporting to management | Sound, lights, video, staging, rigging, power, stagehands, the technical advance |
| **Manages** | Artist + entire touring party | The technical crew and load-in/load-out |
| **Lives in** | The day sheet, the settlement, the calendar, the cash | The stage plot, input list, production schedule, tech rider |
| **Reports to** | Artist's manager | Often the TM |

**Rule of thumb:** the **TM runs the business and the people; the PM runs the stage.** A developing act has a TM (who covers production tasks). A bigger production adds a dedicated PM so the TM isn't trying to settle the show *and* fix the PA at the same time. There's also a **stage manager** who runs the day-of show flow (see *Run Sheet Template*) — on small tours, again, the TM may wear that hat too.

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## Quick Glossary

- **Advance:** confirming all show details with the venue/promoter ahead of the date.
- **Day sheet:** the daily schedule and info sheet for artist and crew.
- **Settlement:** end-of-night reconciliation of tickets, costs, splits, merch → the payout.
- **Float:** the cash the TM carries for on-the-road expenses and per diems.
- **Per diem:** daily cash allowance for meals/incidentals.
- **Buyout:** cash paid in lieu of a provided meal or service.

**Bottom line:** the TM is the operational backbone of touring — hire one when the runs, the crew, or the money outgrow doing it yourself, budget the day rate and per diems into the tour, and split off a PM once the production gets big.
