Roadie, Inc

Posts relating to the book, ‘Roadie, Inc – How to Gain and Keep a career in the Live Music Industry’

Want To Work On The Road? You Should Read These Books

Want To Work On The Road? Read These Books

I recommend you read some, or all of these books, if you are serious about starting a career as a concert touring tech, or other roadie-type job. Three of them are written by people who have, or do, tour for a living, and so they are relevant to what you are trying to achieve. “One … Read more…

Do you use Linkedin to get freelance work? If not, it might be time to do so now.

A picture of the front page of Profinder, from LinkedIn, in May 2016

Do you use Linkedin? Linkedin has never been that popular with musicians, sound engineers, and other creative types, but things are changing, and you should definitely have a look at LinkedIn now as part of your work-finding strategy. LinkedIn has always been the business networking and job finding site and has, in recent years, added … Read more…

How do I get a roadie job, working with bands on tour?

How do I get a roadie job, working with bands on tour_

‘Hey, ‘scuse me. How do I get a job as a roadie like you?’ Ask any tour manager, sound engineer, lighting person or backline technician about the most common question they get asked, and their reply will probably be, ‘something about how to become a roadie’. And how do they answer? Well, after explaining that … Read more…

The Etiquette of Sound Checks

Playing a show will usually involve some kind of sound check. This check will take place before the public arrive and involves setting up your equipment, having the sound engineers place appropriate microphones and DI boxes, cabling everything into the mixing console and playing a  couple of songs in order that the front-of-house engineer can … Read more…

The band road crew dilemma – work for less or lose the work?

How much do band road crew earn - and how to set the price?

Quick tip based on recent experience – do not be afraid to stick to your guns when setting a price for touring crew work.

 

If a potential client (artist manager, booking agent or musical director) says he cannot afford your price, you should not drop your daily rate just to get the tour. Dropping your price can make you appear desperate in the eyes of your client and also sets a precedent when trying to negotiate a contract in the future.

 

For example, say you are a FOH engineer and your rate is $250 a day. You are offered a 32 date tour and

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Audio engineering jobs tutorial at the AES London 2011 conference

I am honoured to be presenting a tutorial on audio engineering jobs for live music tours at the 130th Audio Engineering Society (www.aes.org) conference in London. The tutorial session is called ‘How to Gain and Keep a Career in The Live Music Business’ and is based on my experience on helping people get ‘roadie’-type jobs … Read more…