Does touring make a difference?

Yes, yes it does.

I am currently sitting in the sunny beer garden of a pub in London Fields, wearing a faux-fur lined leather jacket and sipping on a red wine LIKE A FUCKING LADY BOSS. 

If only my whole life was as wanky as this. 



Our tour has reached the half way point and I thought it would be a good time to recap and reflect on how the UK leg went. 

We hit the road on the 31st of March in Oban and tonight we have a house gig in London (which will be streaming ONLINE direct on my Facebook page from 8.30pm - tune in!) 

So far I would call this tour successful.  Having a quick glance at our finance log and email list it is clear that both have grew and have done so at a higher rate than they did last tour.  Monitoring these variables, along with merch stock levels, are a great way to gauge progress.  It can be hard to really KNOW how your tour is doing if you do not write things down and really analyse.  Luckily I enjoy organisation (it makes me so haaarrrd!) and I enjoy recording and collating this information, I find it motivating and gives me a sense of control (although none of us are really in control, we can only influence the potential outcome so don't get disheartened!) 

*WEATHER UPDATE: IT'S RAINING NOW*. Lady boss image is moistening dramatically.  

So here are some real-life ways to really understand, evaluate and monitor your tour and how it is going. 

1. EMAIL LIST.   

Your list is a priority, just like a plant it should be nurtured and cultivated and treated with respect.  Sing to it!!  By that I mean send out mails to your list of news, exclusives and really respect those folk that open, read and respond in some way to your activities.  Those people are your supporters. 

2. FINANCIAL LOG 

Spreadsheets can be scary, I get it, but they can honestly, genuinely be FUN.  I swear.  You don't need anything fancy.  You can use Google Sheets or just a simple word document.  It's a straight forward set up with IN, OUT, DETAILS and TOTAL columns.  Record everything your spend and earn and where it came from.   Obviously the first reason is it is illegal to earn money and not do this (do we need to bring up the most recent news?!) but also it will provide you with true quantifiable evidence of how your tour is panning out and also help you avoid running out of money or overspending on shite you don't need. 

3. TICKET SALES 

Just like your email list this is something you are aiming to grow however if like us more of your shows are free entry then it can be a hard task.  I am personally not at a stage to really push tickets sales at each of my shows.  One or two select and really well promoted shows (i.e. Launch gigs, release gigs) would be a great way to gauge your real life reach. 

So just keeping a note and really trying to grow these things through all your marketing, online and off line, is as important as doing the show itself if you are looking to keep your tours bringing in enough money to keep them on the road.  

Keep your overheads and outgoing small.  Be realistic and push your merch and you should be alright. 

I am still only ankle deep in these waters, as a DIY artist I learn as I go usually by the mistakes I make.  If you have any input, suggestions, ideas, please leave a comment and let's discuss! 

Much love!  Rosie x 

P.S.  Don't forget tonight's online house gig at 8.30pm is free and will be streaming direct from my Facebook page!  See you there :) 

Xxxx

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