Also in this issue:

Expert Advice on
International Touring:
Things to Know
Before You Go

Thinking of packing up and bringing your music to a new country? Here’s a few things you should consider before heading out.

“There’s two kinds of artists who tour internationally”, says Intrepid Artists (http://intrepidartists.com) President and Owner Rick Booth. “There’s the kind who go over there so they can tell their friends they toured in Europe and there’s the kind who actually make money.”

Rick firmly believes in the latter camp and regularly brings his Americana roster of Blues, Zydeco and Roots artists to the rest of the world. When asked what the most important thing artists should do before leaving on tour he quickly replies “Get distribution. Have your music available there before you show up.” Besides the fact that local distribution will insure that you aren’t carrying all your CDs with you through every customs checkpoint, having someone on the other end who’s as interested in selling your CDs as you are can be a helpful ally in setting things up and smoothing your path.

June Lehman of the Circle Agency, one of whose artists was touring in China this past year, concurs. “I don't recommend booking a tour on your own without an advocate in the other country. That overseas person should knows the laws, regulations, work permits, etc., and can assemble this stuff much easier and more quickly than you or I ever could.” She also points out that a local agent has a much better idea of what a gig is worth in that country’s market, some of which treat musicians far better than we’ve come to expect playing locally.

Rick recommends booking things anywhere from 3-9 months in advance. It depends on the complexity of the tour – how many countries and which ones. “The countries you’re dealing with are a huge factor in choosing your dates”, Rick says. Each country has its pitfalls – New Zealand and Russia have tons of legal red tape, Germany loads you down with taxes, and surprisingly, Canada has gotten far harder to tour in recently. “Ever since 9/11 it’s gotten real hard to deal with passports, visas and work permits.”, Rick gripes. “You’d think Canada would be easy but...”, he trails off ruefully.

June recommends getting the contact info of any US embassies where you’re going and getting to know your state department. They can be extremely helpful before your trip and can give you the info you need on inoculations and help you with visa requirements. Keep in mind that some inoculations require that they be taken well ahead of your trip and can require follow-up appointments once you get back. And she recommends a crash course on the language and culture of any countries you’re traveling to.

If it’s all sounding like too much, there are some things they recommend to make trip better. Rick’s tip is that frequently large festivals will have a stateside promoter who can be easier to reach and plan with. June recommends knowing your exchange rates and setting up payment in whichever currency is most advantageous to you. With the dollar falling against the Euro, it’s possible you could cash in your Euros at the end of the tour for a better rate than if you were paid in dollars. And both say to make sure you get as much as possible of your back-line taken care of locally at your stops. You want to carry as little as possible through customs and the charges on the extra baggage weight can kill a tour’s profitability.

But a lot of the challenges in touring internationally are really left to chance Rick believes. Whether you’re trying to get your passport quickly, trying to get a visa or trying to your equipment onto a plane “It’s all depends on who you get and what kind of a day they’re having. Some folks will help you out and others will make your life tough.” (This article’s author has paid anywhere from $0-$100 in extra luggage charges to bring the same keyboard onto different flights of the same airline depending on who was at the check-in counter.)

“Above all”, Rick cautions, “Be patient. Be choosey. There are tons of people who want to bring American artists to their country but without doing your research and taking the time to set things up right you can find yourself in a bad situation a long way from home. Hold out for the right situation.”

David Wechsler writes songs and articles in Chicago, IL and
Brooklyn, NY. You can reach him at david@pinataland.com or at pinataland.com and he wants you to know that he has absolutely no holiday sales going on and wishes you and yours the best for the new year.