Product Description

The Touring Musician helps performers at all levels of experience to take control of their careers. Packed with practical information as well as amusing and enlightening anecdotes, this invaluable handbook guides musicians in apply sound business practices to band travel by evaluating assets; creating an action plan; researching, negotiating, and booking venues; arranging transportation and lodgings; managing personal and tour finances; and getting publicity.

Authored by Hal Galper, an educator and professional pianist with a virtual Who's Who of musicians, this book introduces you to the successful career development and booking and tour techniques that he witnessed first-hand as a side man and that he later developed himself as a band leader, providing an inside look at the proven strategies used by some of the greatest names in music.

Included in this book: point-by-point advice on setting up a small business; 11 sample worksheets and checklists, in a ready-to-photocopy format, that will help to keep information organized; samples of the major types of legal documents involved in booking a band; a step-by-step chapter showing how to book and route a sample tour; and solid advice about researching venue contracts, negotiating gigs and fees, managing band finances, coordinating promotional activities, and much, much more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #449726 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Customer Reviews

The Book will my career guide.
Lots of experience went into this book. I will use it for my guide on the road. Only thing, I wish the author would have covered more of the angles and pit falls of the business of gigging - the agent(s), recording studios, venue owners, and lawyers - only his personal experience; not other road-rat wisdom (in dealing with scams and dead-beats). The author should keep writing new editions of this publications (the music changes in shady colors?). I give the book 4 stars, minus one star for its lack of comprehensiveness.

What You Need To Get Started
Mr. Galper gives you everything you need to be a successful musician in business. the information is also helpful if you are starting any other business. I was really inspired and this book has been a god send.

Best I've seen! An absolute must-have!
I'm only about 3.5 chapters into this book and to me it's the best book on getting the business end of a music career I have ever come across. I have a stack of music business books about yea high and they are mostly very good, but Hal's is far and away the top gun. He not only demonstrates the logistics of getting a band started, how to ask a club/venue booker for gigs, how to set up the money end, but he also looks at the inner psychology of what it takes to be a touring/performing musician, and does it so that all the hard work you take on looks manageable. Not only is this a good book for entry or mid-level musicians, it's a great read for ANYBODY who would want to start his or her own business. Sometimes it's a little dry and hard to read, but the information it contains is so valuable I don't mind at all. I highly recommend this book from a "road rat" who has been there and done that.