Touring 101 for Musicians (Coursera)

This course will provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to build a career as a touring musician. You will develop an understanding of why touring can be incredibly beneficial for a new artist and you will hear from leading professionals in the music industry on how to plan a successful tour. The course will focus on establishing the goals for a tour, identifying the best tour model for you, and highlighting marketing strategies for a tour. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to plan and market a tour in a way that allows you to best connect with your fans and grow your music business.

Syllabus

Welcome to Touring 101 for Musicians!

Module 1

Welcome to the course! In this first module, we will cover all of the details about this course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.

Lesson 1: The Basics of Touring

Module 2

In lesson one, we will start with the basics of touring and learning why having a tour goal is essential to your success. We will hear from a touring band and what their tips are for starting out before learning to write our own pitches to send to possible venues. By the end of this lesson, you will walk away with your touring goals, possible venues to reach out to, and a first draft booking pitch to send out to your venue list.

Lesson 2: Creating a Great Gig with Your Fans

Module 3

In lesson two, we will start by learning how to create a great performance that grows your fan base. Then, we will discuss the idea of strategic touring and developing ways to measure if your tour is a success. Finally, we will finish off by refocusing on your fans as a reminder that keeping them at the center of your plans is the best way to ensure your tour is successful. By the end of this lesson, you will have a list of different types of measurements to use in order to determine the success of your tour.

Lesson 3: Hit the Road! Choosing a Tour Model that Works for You

Module 4

In lesson three, we will focus all of our attention on different tour models. These models are common practices for musicians both at the beginning of their career and later in their career. All of the models can be combined to create the optimum situation for you. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify tour models and decide which will work best for your tour goals.

Lesson 4: Marketing Your Gigs and Tours

Module 5

In lesson four, we will cover the important subject of marketing. Now that you have a basic plan for your tour, it is time to begin marketing. There are different ways to market to fans and many platforms to do so from. This lesson will cover low-budget options in case you are just starting out or have limited funds to market yourself. By the end of this lesson, you will have several affordable to free methods to get the word out about your tour.