Live performances are the most lucrative way for a musician to make money.
Read moreHow An Indie Artist Can Get Worldwide Tour Dates
The President of Virgin Records said to one of our associates who has recently toured the world with Red Jump Suit Apparatus and Paramore, “You cannot tour without radio airplay”. Thats a fact because no one will know who you are. This does not mean you have to have a charted hit to tour a specific area of the world.
First, you need to hire a radio promotions company who gets your music to the world, not just a few stations in the US. You can do all the data research you want, but until you release your music to the world, you will not know what areas of the world will play you. Contact the stations that are playing you and thank them. Offer them radio liners, radio interviews and offer to send them a dozen promo give- away cds. Radio likes to offer their listening audience give- aways. To give your cds away, they play you more, mention who you are more and increase your exposure.
Once you have done this you are that radio stations friend. So ask the stations that are playing you who their advertising venues are. Get their contact information. Call, email those venues. Tell them you are playing on xyz radio station in their town and want to come to their town to perform. Let the radio stations know you are going to do this and they will back you because if the venue hires you the venue will hire them to advertise the performance. This will get you even more exposure on that radio station.
Radio will love you because they got the venues advertising dollars because of you. You get a performance date that is well advertised and a radio station that is playing your music and supporting you. Most likely when you go to perform you will have a full house of people who came to see you. You will sell merchandise, gain fans and if you do a good performance be asked to come back again. Everyone wins.
Odds are you will not become a superstar overnight and it will take several releases, but it will build your business and allow you to tour.