Touring & production consulting for artists

What does TCCG do for touring artists?

TCCG advises touring artists on building an appropriate rider, understanding the advance process from the artist side, budgeting realistically for the road, and conducting themselves professionally with venues, promoters, and crews in markets where nobody knows them yet.

Why is touring different from playing locally?

At a local show, the room, the crew, and the promoter all already know you and have an incentive to make it work. On tour, none of that exists. You’re an incoming act working with a crew that’s never met you, for a promoter whose primary obligation is to the venue, not to you. Standards are higher and the tolerance for disorganization is lower.

Who is this service for?

Artists preparing for their first serious regional or national tour. Touring artists who keep running into the same production problems without understanding why. Artists whose team is handling production without a dedicated production manager and needs a stronger foundation.

Service Breakdown

Understanding Your Rider. We help you build a technical and hospitality rider appropriate to your level, specific enough to be useful, reasonable enough to be deliverable.

The Advancing Process. We teach you how the advance works from the touring side, what to expect from venues and promoters, and how to follow up correctly when the other side is slow.

Budgeting for the Road. Touring costs more than most artists expect. We help you understand the real cost structure so you can evaluate deals accurately before committing.

Working with Venues and Promoters Professionally. How your team conducts itself on every show determines whether you get invited back. We give you the practical framework for showing up professionally in every market.

Settlement Literacy. You should understand what happens at the settlement table even if someone else sits at it. We walk you through how settlement works and where disputes typically come from.

Venue and Crew Relationships. First impressions with a venue crew carry forward to every future show in that market. We help you understand venue culture and how to build relationships that make every return visit easier.

What’s the most common mistake touring artists make?

The most common mistake is treating the rider and advance as someone else’s problem instead of understanding them directly. Artists who rely entirely on a manager or tour manager without any independent knowledge of the process can’t tell when something is being handled correctly versus poorly, which leaves them exposed when problems surface on show day.

Do I need a full production team to benefit from this?

No. Many of our touring artist clients are still building their team. The goal is to make sure you understand the fundamentals well enough to direct whatever team you do have, whether that’s a full crew or just yourself and one other person.

What if I’m touring without a dedicated production manager?

This is one of the most common situations we work with. We help you and your team build enough production literacy to cover the gap, advancing shows correctly, reading riders accurately, and handling show day without a dedicated PM.

Does TCCG help build the actual rider document, or just teach the concepts?

Both. We can work through building your actual rider document with you, line by line, while also explaining the reasoning behind each section so you understand why it’s structured that way.

What if my tour is already booked and underway?

This is still useful. We can review your existing rider and advance process mid-tour to tighten what’s working and fix what’s creating friction at venues, rather than waiting until the next tour cycle to make changes.

How is this different from hiring a tour manager?

A tour manager executes the logistics of a specific tour. This consulting builds your own independent understanding of how the production side works, so you can evaluate any tour manager’s work and make informed decisions regardless of who is handling day to day logistics.

What are the most common mistakes touring artists make with venues?

The most damaging pattern is showing up underprepared and treating the venue crew as an obstacle instead of a partner. A close second is sending a rider that’s wildly out of proportion to the artist’s actual level, which creates friction before the tour even arrives and signals inexperience to people who will talk about it in the industry.

Does this service cover international touring, or only domestic markets?

The fundamentals of advancing, rider construction, and professional conduct apply regardless of country, though international touring introduces additional logistical and regulatory complexity that may require additional specialized resources beyond this consulting.

How do I get started?

Book a free 30 minute introductory call. No pitch, no pressure.