When on tour, tour managers get emails from management for interviews or photo passes. I see many bands doing interviews for some 13 year old fan (nothing against the 13 year old) and then the band is complaining that they could have been doing something else. Bands have to do a ton of interviews on a daily bases and it’s up to management and tour managers to filter which interviews to do (mostly so bands do not get burned out) when I see an artist get up at 9am to supposedly do an interview on camera and when the artist gets there he finds some 13 year old fan with a video camera and she has to ask the personal assistant of the artist to film for her, it shows a lack of consideration for the artist. Doing that interview is not the point but maybe doing that interview means that some other MORE important interview could have been set up. Actually better yet the artist could have rested to do the show that night, the 4 meet and greets and the Rollingstone’s phone interview.

The more research is done with these interview and photo passes request the better it is for the artist. They don’t have to get upset when they find out its not a real interview and real photographers are not left out because you gave all your photo passes to some kids that are fan and have those picture wasted on some Facebook post that say “He is so hot!”

As much hate as I’ll get for this, interviews are for magazines, radio, newspapers or for successful music blogs. Having someone do an interview so only her 4 friends can sit in a circle and giggle at question number 3) Why are you so hot and can we get married when I grow up? Is just a waste of time for everyone involved because the more successful the band the more people it takes to get that band ready for interviews.

Do your research. The day will come when you as a manager will need your artist do a lot of stuff (interviews, phoners, tv stuff) and because of you not doing your research in the pass your own artist won’t take you seriously.

This is my opinion and only an opinion.

I spoke to the artist tonight because she seems bummed out. I asked her what was wrong she said sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard I try to please fans I seem to not be enough. Even for things that are not under my control or a little crazy. I asked her for an example and she said “Every day I do a radio interview, go to the radio station I’ll sing a song, answer fans questions, reply to my fans on twitter, do Meet & greet before the show, do a show, another meet & greet after the show, shower, get something quick to eat, run to the bus, sign more stuff for fans that are waiting outside my bus, drive for 10 hours to do it all over again”. I understand that it’s my job and it comes with the territory the thing is none of that bothers me. What bothers me is…lets say during that day when I finally get to sit down to drink a coffee and someone comes over to ask me to sign something, pose for photos, talk to their friends on the phone, listen to their stories, after that is done and I jumped over every hoop they asked me to, when I come to them and say “Thank you but now I would just like to drink my coffee” they have the audacity to say that I am a stuck up or in their case a bitch. “What is it with people?” what do artist need to do to not offend anyone or be offended? Not do any of this Stuff? Do a show and go home? It’s just seriously disappointing.

Well after listening to that I ask “Do you really want me to give you an answer?” She said “I don’t know what I want what I don’t want to is find people trashing us or thinking its ok to behave like that. All I said to that artist was, Sometimes you have to worry less what they say or think of you and do what makes you happy. Example when your work starts taking over your love for music you need a step back and think, is it really worth it for you to start hating what you love to do? If the answer is “NO” then create your music, enjoy life because some fans will turn on a dime on you because they don’t really care about your music they care more about themselves.

People seem to not realize what artist go through, its a daily struggle of trying to please everyone, which is a losing battle.

I see so many bands get upset about paying merch rates, but very rarely do they do anything about it. All it takes is a few phone calls with their booking agent and they will get your band the best merch rate possible.

I’ll give you an example: Today I showed up at the venue (which by the way never even answered my advance email) They had the balls to tell me that the rate on CD’S was 20% please have in mind that in arenas the most they take is 10% this is a shitty theater. I then called the booking agent which is a good friend of mine and I told him what had happen, 5 minutes later I am getting an email that the merch rate was cut in half. If merch people and booking agents didn’t care most bands would get it right in the pooper because they complain about the merch rates but do nothing to fix it.

The Merch rate was made up back in the day by promoters, they did that to protect themselves if a show lost money. The fact that bands have to pay building merch rates only makes sense when the venue gives the band a good merch area with tables display racks, lights and in the larger venues the buildings even provide the merch sellers. But you also see many venues which I won’t name that take full advantage of the bands and get these incredibly high merch rates and give bands and merch people nothing.

Some of the larger venues like Madison square gardens have a high merch rate up to 35% on merch, but they put up several stands, try to please the bands merch person. Another venue that looks out for the bands and their merch person is the Best Buy Theater also in NYC where they do both artist vends or venue vend. This venue actually has an ex road merch guy (@chaile27 on twitter) so he looks out for the bands best interest and his crew is on ball. There are many other great venues out there that are great but the problem is they are too few and far in between.

So bands take the time off your busy day of tweeting 50 times a day to your fans to “Like” your facebook page and call your booking agent and tell him/her you want them to get your band the best merch rates possible. If they don’t its time to change booking agents.

This is my opinion and only and opinion.

“Just sign here, Don’t worry this is just mumbo jumbo” (That really means) This gives us all the rights to everything you have worked so hard.

“Yeah that is so we can adjust some lyrics and stuff” (that means) So we can change everything about it and make you sound just like all the other ones!

“We may have to rethink the line up” (That means) Yeah that drummer of yours that has been your best friend since 2nd grade has to go because he doesn’t look the part. We will put my nephew, he can’t play but boy does he have good hair!

“We love the name of your band” (That means) We hate the name of your band.

“We are offering you an advance of 1,000,000 dollars” (that means) you owe us 1,000,000 dollars that you will pay us back from that one dollar you make in royalties per cd sold and not from the other $14 because that is our money.

“We want you to sign with our label” (That means) We want to own you and squeeze every penny out of you until you can’t fill up a show, then after that we will drop you.

Yes, I exaggerated a bit but if bands do not take a minute and educate themselves about the music business that is exactly how they will feel the day they get dropped. No other time has it been better for bands to negotiate with labels, bands have the upper hand, nowadays many start up bands don’t even need a label to get their music out there and labels know it.

So be smart don’t take the 1st offer it’s a risk but it pays off. Last thing keep as much creative control as you can. Remember whatever you were doing is what got labels interested in you so don’t let them change you and turn you into another one in the pack.

My opinion and only an opinion.

This is @Trixie_Whitley you probably haven’t hear of her. It’s not because she cant sing or play an instrument. Its because good music like this you only find playing live touring somewhere down the road and not on the radio. Yes, this music isn’t for everyone its just for people that like real singers and real musicians.

Take care and enjoy this little studio session and if you are in SXSW you might find her playing there. I have zero affiliation with Trixie or Black Dub. but ill tell you one thing you will find me in one of their shows if they are ever in the same town I’m in.

Many bands are all excited about being on Warped Tour. Warped is usually a platform for get their music out to a larger crowd.

The one thing they need to remember is that their crews will be working long hours specially Merch dudes/girls so while you are all excited about playing Warped Tour take some time and buy your Merch dude/girls a good Merch Cart and ice cooler. Remember they have to push this cart full of Merch, a tent and all this other shit across grass, kids, assholes even in the rain just to get the name of your band out there.

It may cost you couple of hundred dollars but it’s the difference between having a unhappy Merch guy/girl representing your band or a happy one making your band extra money because he/she has these two tools that will make a hard job just a little easier.

PS. It won’t hurt if you fill this cooler with water, beers and some sodas as well.

I have only gone to Warped Tour one day as a fan and my hat goes out to the bands, crew and Merch people that are doing it or have done it for years. I have never worked Warped Tour (I’m to much of a Pussy) but I have many great friends that will be on that tour and I’m sure they would appreciate your small investment that will pay you back ten folds with your Merch sales.

If you a Merch dude/girl and the band you’re working for follows your blog or twitter it might help if you reblog this so they FREAKING READ IT! Good luck to everyone working Warped!

This is my opinion and only an opinion

Change is just a part of growing up, bitching at each other online is just childish

Summer is around the corner and every band and his mother will be touring this summer, so what are bands going to do to make their tour more interesting than the other 78928374894043 million bands that will be out there? (Well this is what I would be thinking if I was in a band)

This Summer, bands shouldn’t rely only on promoters, social networks to sell their shows, They need to think of perks for their fans (that’s what I would do, but what do I know I’m ONLY a merch dude) So here are some ideas that I was thinking in order to move tickets.

1) Lets your hardcore fans 1st dibs on tickets, the ones that pay to be on your fanbase on your website.

2) The 1st 200 tickets get a special price. Most promoter wait until tickets are not selling to do this which make no sense be proactive instead of reactive.

3) Do a surprise show before you start your tour, yes do it for free to create a buzz.

4) Give away to each venue meet and greet passes to the 1st 50 people that buy tickets directly from your website.

5) Talk to the venues and do your after show party privately at the venue. Talk to venue asked them for 30 minutes after your show ends. where your fans that purchased a shirt that night can stay and hang out at the bar with your band and have drinks (fans pay for their own drinks) it just making the bar a “ViP” area for 30 minutes, the venue will like it because they will sell some drinks and make money as well. Bands hang out anyways and your fans might even buy you a drink and it also will increase your merch sales.

6) Do something Different at your show, instead of wasting time doing that fake walk off come back encore thing, save that time and maybe even play some new song your band is working on, test it with your fans (Even if it sucks they will like that you’re making them feel special)

7) Do competitions with your street team in every town the top 3 that works the hardest promoting your show gets to have a VIP TABLE SIDE STAGE or even be a crew member for a day. Where they get to see what crew people go through out the day to make a show happen.

This may or may not work for your band. but the point is the more involved your fans are and the more interactive your show is before and after might separate you from the rest and will give your fans a better experience than just buying a ticket to see you play live like every other of the 74578976556899 million other bands will be doing.

This is my opinion and only an opinion.

Touring is a job that requires that you keep independent yet rely on a team to make a show happen. Something that most people don’t understand is you cant be successful as a crew guy/girl if you cant be trusted with your responsibility. Each position is like one single note that makes a song. The weaker you are doing your job the more work you put on someone else and the odds are that you won’t last.

Touring is a team effort specially if you’re in the band, you depend on your crew, so the more respect that crew gets from you the tighter the show, your fans will be happy the more money your band will make.

My opinion and only an opinion.

Ps. If you pay attention and break the code you will figure out my name and 3 bands I have toured with.

Good luck.

Ever tour has different people, yet the more you tour you will always find the same type of people, these are my favorite types that I keep seeing on every tour I do.

1) Old Timer: This guys has been on every tour since the 80’s has seen it all and is usually little bitter, not because he is not enjoying the tour but because he has to deal with newbies.

2) The gadget guy: This person owns every electronic item possible and has them plugged all over the bus even when he or she is not around, he usually finds pictures of the other crew guys balls on his phones when he leaves them unattended.

3) The packer: This person travels like he or she is a fashion model , has a bag for shoes one for shirts, one for God knows what and has the biggest toiletry bag ever made. This is the person that when you walk on the bus has all his shit around the bunk area. He or she usually finds some of his clothes in the freezer.

4) The groupie hoarder: This is the guy that is usually on his first tour and all he thinks of is the girls he can hook up with because he “knows the band”, he is always asking for working passes, backstage passes and usually sucks at his job, he brings the girls on the bus and is usually left alone on the bus when the band guys walk on and take the girls.

5) The stoner: You will fine more than one on each tour, the have “Product meetings” around 4:20 and after work are always together in the back lounge of the bus playing either video games or just staring at their feet talking about zebras.

6) The Laminator: Yep that guy!! The one that has every single laminate that he has ever gotten his hands on, he thinks its a resume. This guy is usually dumb looking.

7) The Dirty one: This one is just that, he does not really like to shower, his sneakers smell like big foot dick wrapped inside of and egg salad fart. NOTE: beware while going into the bathroom after this guy, his poops are legendary and he pees on the seat.

8) The Bus mom, he or she is a clean freak and usually looks out for stocking the bus even when its not their gig, they are a TM and crew dream. Never fuck with the bus MOM because you will never find your favorite treats as he or she is a bus Nazi.

9) The ghost rider: This is the guy that usually is very quite and you dont seem to see during the day or night, you might see him for a few seconds when he walks on the bus and gets in his bunk, by the way on days off you never EVER see the ghost rider.

10) The Combitcher: This one is always complaining and bitching about everything example: “Catering doesn’t have coffee, the coffee is cold, the coffee is to hot, the coffee is black, the coffee has small cups, the sugar is too sweet, the sugar is to white”. this is just in the 1st ten minutes of meeting the combitcher. By the second week of touring with a combitcher you learn his or hers schedule and avoid them at all cost.

These are just a few of the regulars that I see on tours, so take few seconds and picture which one you’re or would be if you toured, better yet which number on the list your tour buds are.

Most bands have an old inventory of shirts in their garage that are just sitting there as dead money. When you hit the road again and have a bunch of new Merch for that tour, just pick one of the designs in your garage and while you’re sitting in the back lounge doing nothing tell your Merch guy/girl to bring you a few dozen of those old shirts and autograph them.

Now that they are autograph just sell them for the same price as your new shirts NOT MORE EXPENSIVE, your fans will buy them because they are signed and they will also be super happy when they ask your Merch guy/girl “Why are they the same price as the other shirts?” and your Merch guy/girl can say “It’s because they feel bad that they cant meet all their fans because they have to leave quickly to the next show, this way some of them can have something with an autograph” This will not only make you look good “Because you care” but will also bring you an income that was in most cases was just taking space in your garage.

The one thing is, if you have 100 old tees only sign like 10 a show that way you don’t kill the sales of your new shirts. This works for the smaller bands that play 500 seaters and up.

This is my opinion and only an opinion.

Traveling for a living is a great job, you meet new people, new cities, listen to new music and you get to learn from so many others that been touring for so long.

Music has created so many jobs for so many people, from the suits to the janitors at the labels, guys on the road, venues people, music stores, making instruments, tour supplies, trucking, lighting and merchandise companies. All these jobs might rest on the shoulders of bands that right now might be practicing at their parents garage or traveling in a van maybe even 10 guys/girls sleeping in one cheap motel room somewhere in middle America trying to get their name out there. It’s pretty impressive if you think how many jobs depend on these bands, bands that are great, some that are just terrible. Yet many depend on them.

So maybe next time if you arrive early to a show you may want to pay a little attention to that opening band instead of standing at the bar texting your booty call or trying to impress that hot blonde at the corner of the bar saying “I’m so and so from the record label”

Thank you,

Themerchdude

Most fans don’t understand the hours of work that it takes to do an hour and a half show from beginning to end. Let’s start by advancing the production side of the show, that alone will take sometimes 10 emails, some venues take a long time to answer and then when they do answer the email the questions you sent on the 1st email will not be answered (yep they talk about other things but not what you asked) so the email war starts there, then after that are the phone calls sorry I mean voice messages (please take note this is just advancing the show) Some venues play the dating game, you know when you meet someone and you wait 3 days to call back.

Well now that the advancing is done they need to arrange flights, tour buses, hotel rooms for band and crew catering then deal with the shit band guy/girl need guest list, promo, radio station interviews all for this show.

Day of the show (I’m skipping a lot of the shit that happen last night) loading in starts at 8am to set up the stage, lights, sound equipment, tour managers deal with the band girlfriends, family members, label assholes, VIPs, last minute getting band gear fixed (shit breaks always day of show that is why techs work all day) load in is done in about 3 hours now they build everything from the ground up, riggers do their thing, monitor guys set on stage, lighting rig on trust and stage left, lighting designers get their gear focusing lights, tech build drum set, guitar tech take their position on the stage, they get guitars tunes etc etc.

Then around 1pm Merch dude/girl wakes up, loads in the Merch, set up his/her stand or stands counts Merch in. Remember its by item per size (inventory) runs to get deliveries that were sent to the building and then at 4:20 pm everything stops you won’t see and crew guy around for 10 minutes (think about that one).

Sound check starts for an hour while the Merch dude/girl uses bands dressing room to poop.

Well all is set up by 5 pm everyone eats in catering, tour manager gets a call during dinner more guest for the guest list because the lead singer was at the mall and met some hot girls/boys, he has to stop, go to will call, leave name there. By the time TM gets back his food is cold or thrown away or some crew/merch guy puts salt all over it.

It’s 6:30 pm crew guys are all in position Merch dude/girl is at Merch doors open at 7:00 fans come running to the stage, Merch, bathrooms the questions at Merch start “How much is that?” blah blah blah. Tour manager get another call band guys need to add more guest, opening band goes on stage (no one cares) they are done, headliner goes on stage plays for a hour and a half then they pretend the walk off stage, come back to do the predictable encore, then they are done get off stage fans come buy Merch, fans go outside Merch gets pack in boxes when it’s all packed some VIP comes by Merch and ask “Are you closed? Can I buy something?” look for what they want in the boxes (it’s always in the bottom box *smh*)

Crew guys break down stage, lights, sound equipment, load out begins the last truck is loaded and truck doors are close it’s 1:30 am. Showers, after show food, drinks and fun happens in the bus.

All that was just to put an hour and a half show. So have that in mind next time you go to a show and the band can’t sign something for you because they have to run to the next city to put on another show.

It’s not how quickly you elevate but how long you stay relevant