Tour management guides
Practical, step-by-step guides for tour managers and bands: budgets, advancing, day sheets, settlements, stage plots, riders and more. Each one comes with free templates.
Free resources TRMNGR user guidePlanning and money
Band tour budget template for a van tour
A simple per-show band tour budget for independent bands in a van: guarantees, merch, gas, hotels and food, with a free template and worked example.
Handling cash and bank deposits on tour
A safe routine for handling settlement and merch cash on tour: counting, logging, storing and depositing, with a free cash and deposit log.
How much merch to bring on tour
Estimate how much band merch to bring on tour: quantities, size breakdowns, pricing, storage and reordering on the road, without guessing.
Merch settlement and nightly merch counts
How to count merch in and out, settle merch with the venue, handle venue fees on soft and hard goods, and track sales, with a free merch count sheet.
Per diems on tour: how much and how to pay them
What per diems are, how bands and tour managers set the amount, when to pay them, how to track them, and a free per diem tracker spreadsheet.
Show deals explained: guarantee, versus, plus and door deals
How live show deals work for bands: flat guarantees, versus deals, guarantee plus backend, door deals and break-even, with worked examples.
How to settle a show
Step-by-step show settlement for tour managers: box office, deal math, expenses, merch, cash and payment, with a free settlement sheet template.
How to make a tour budget
Build a tour budget that holds up on the road: income, expenses, commissions and a contingency, with a free tour budget spreadsheet template.
Tour expense tracking: how to track receipts on the road
A simple system for tracking tour expenses and receipts on the road, categorizing spend, reconciling cash and comparing against your budget. Free expense log.
Advancing and show day
How to advance a festival show
What is different about advancing a festival: changeover times, shared backline, credentials, artist check-in, tight schedules and documents to send early.
How to run a guest list for a show
How to manage a band’s guest list: allowances, pass types, deadlines, box office format and comps, with a free guest list template.
How to write a hospitality rider
What a hospitality rider is, what bands typically ask for, how to keep it reasonable and how to customize it by day, with a free hospitality rider template.
How to advance a show
How tour managers advance a show: who to contact, when, what to confirm (schedule, production, hospitality, merch, settlement) and a free advance sheet template.
How to plan soundcheck and line check
How to plan soundcheck order and timing for a multi-band bill, what happens in a line check, and how to keep the day on schedule.
How to make a tour day sheet
What a tour day sheet is, what to include (times, addresses, contacts, hotel, notes) and how to share it with band and crew, with a free day sheet template.
Stage and production
How to keep a gear inventory for tour and insurance
How to build a band gear inventory with serial numbers and replacement values for insurance, carnets and flight manifests, with a free gear inventory template.
How to write an input list
How to make an input list (channel list) for your band: channel order, mics, stands, DI, monitor mixes and notes, with a free input list template.
How to write a setlist
How bands build a setlist: pacing, openers and closers, set length and changeovers, printing for stage, and tracking songs for performing rights.
How to make a stage plot
What a stage plot is, what to include (positions, monitors, power, risers) and how to make one engineers can read at a glance, with a free printable template.
How to write a tech rider
What goes in a band tech rider: PA, monitors, backline, lighting, power, stage and crew needs, kept realistic, with a free tech rider template.
Crew, travel and people
Booking hotels on tour
How tour managers book hotels for band and crew: room plans, location, parking for vans and buses, group rates, check-in timing and keeping confirmations organized.
How to route a tour
Practical tour routing for bands and tour managers: sensible drive times, market order, days off, radius clauses and holding dates, with a free itinerary template.
Sharing tour info with band and crew
How to share tour information with band and crew without oversharing: who needs what, view vs edit access, contact sheets and keeping everyone on one version.
How to keep a shared tour calendar
How bands and tour managers keep one shared tour calendar: day types, what each day should show, Google Calendar sync and keeping everyone on the same version.
Booking and tracking flights for a touring band
How tour managers handle band and crew flights: collecting passenger details, instruments and excess baggage, manifests and keeping flight info organized.
How to make a tour itinerary
How to build a tour itinerary for band and crew: every date, city, venue, travel, hotel and contact in one place, with a free tour itinerary template.
Van touring tips for bands
Practical van touring advice for bands: vehicle prep, packing and load order, driving shifts, security, money and staying healthy on the road.
Getting started
First tour checklist for bands
Everything a band should sort out before its first tour: shows, money, van, merch, gear spares, documents and personal packing, with a free printable checklist.
How to become a tour manager
What a tour manager does, the skills that matter, how people get their first tour manager jobs, and how to build a reputation in live music.
Share a tour with your crew in 2 minutes
Step by step: invite band and crew to a TRMNGR tour by email, choose what each person can view or edit, copy access to everyone, and revoke it later.
The tour manager checklist
A complete tour manager checklist covering pre-tour planning, advancing, show day, settlement and wrapping up, with a free printable and spreadsheet checklist.