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[Old Gold]

I'm afraid asking for a contract with no touring experience will result in a hearty laugh in the face.

[Iomega]

Originally Posted by JJ 10 Easy Wishes

yep. Also, now especially, you really have to question whether it is actually worth touring for a more than a few days unless you have some national press coverage or some sort of big release to promote.

I dont agree with this, bands manage to tour and play in front of decent crowds without any media coverage all the time. Probably down to usually networking and getting to know people who put on shows in different areas. A good way is joining nationwide forums.

I do think weekender's are a great way of arranging out of town gigs though, ie arranging gigs over friday, saturday and sunday to minimise the amount of days off work etc. It helps to do this with another band say from england so you arrange a few gigs up here and then they do the same for you down south.

[stuartmaxwell]

I always say the same thing, GIG SWAPS!!

team up with a band in a similar position in say glasgow or edinburgh. To begin with, arrange a gig in aberdeen, they arrange one in edinburgh/glasgow one weekend and see how that goes. If you hit it off with the other band you will begin a good relationship where you help each other out, eventually what will happen is that people will see your band name and posts on forums/posters/listings, which is far more productive going to play an unadvertised gig to uninterested people (if you are lucky) in bannermans or something

In advance of these gigs try sending your cds to some zines, distros, radio people, listings mags etc and see if you can get a plug, if you dont ask you (when starting out) will usually never get. that is the same for gigs too, if you are really keen get an eye on line ups when they are announced, get in touch with the promoter and offer your services, anytime a band pulls out, offer your services. You may find that you may not get paid, however if you all chip in a 20 bucks each that should more than cover things.

i cant be arsed typing out a long list of things you should be thinking about, but if you do a search on google, there are heaps of guides for local bands

[Alkaline]

Originally Posted by stuartmaxwell

I always say the same thing, GIG SWAPS!!

team up with a band in a similar position in say glasgow or edinburgh. To begin with, arrange a gig in aberdeen, they arrange one in edinburgh/glasgow one weekend and see how that goes. If you hit it off with the other band you will begin a good relationship where you help each other out, eventually what will happen is that people will see your band name and posts on forums/posters/listings, which is far more productive going to play an unadvertised gig to uninterested people (if you are lucky) in bannermans or something

In advance of these gigs try sending your cds to some zines, distros, radio people, listings mags etc and see if you can get a plug, if you dont ask you (when starting out) will usually never get. that is the same for gigs too, if you are really keen get an eye on line ups when they are announced, get in touch with the promoter and offer your services, anytime a band pulls out, offer your services. You may find that you may not get paid, however if you all chip in a 20 bucks each that should more than cover things.

i cant be arsed typing out a long list of things you should be thinking about, but if you do a search on google, there are heaps of guides for local bands

Spoken like gospel and is indeed so. Make friends and enjoy yourselves with other bands and it'll only serve to help you out in the long run.

Doing something like this is only as hard as you make it yourself. Yeah, i guess there will be shit points but at the end of the day it's all part and parcel of the experience. You aren't playing to make money at this level, it's all about the experience and having fun together.

[black_matter]

All of this is great feedback by the way, just like to thank use for that.

The only other question I have is, is it possible to tour with 3 or 4 small cars and meeting up or would a van be easier? Also is van rental cheap? Would it be advisable to bring along your own van driver?

[RF Scott]

Originally Posted by black_matter

All of this is great feedback by the way, just like to thank use for that.

The only other question I have is, is it possible to tour with 3 or 4 small cars and meeting up or would a van be easier? Also is van rental cheap? Would it be advisable to bring along your own van driver?

If you're taking a convoy of 3/4 cars (why would you need that many, anyway? One car with people, one car with equipment?), a van would obviously be easier, as it's just the one vehicle. You can get van rental for about £40/50 a day, more if you have to hire a driver from the company too. If you're renting a van and getting your own driver, however in this case they'll have age restrictions for the driver (21 or 25 ring a bell). So you'll probably lose money renting a van, etc for first out of town shows, but then again, you'll definitely lose money with petrol for 4 cars. You'd also probably lose money somehow if you walked to the venue, so not really worth fretting about.

[black_matter]

I knew there would be age restrictions on hiring a driver. I also knew that it'd pretty much be a loss of money for our first run of gigs.

How much money is a decent amount to save up before setting off?

[Iomega]

Originally Posted by black_matter

I knew there would be age restrictions on hiring a driver. I also knew that it'd pretty much be a loss of money for our first run of gigs.

How much money is a decent amount to save up before setting off?

How long is a piece of string?

Theres so many factors to take into consideration ie, miles to be covered?, how many folk?, how much for driver?, etc.

Best coming up with a budget.