Tour:Smart: And Break the Band

I have had the pleasure of meeting Martin Atkins and attending some of his workshops for aspiring musicians and have always enjoyed his in-your-face but honest advice about the music business and trying to make it more than a hobby. He makes it clear that this is not an easy path and that your creativity should be employed for more than just the business of making music. He also in this book makes it clear that being a "rock star", while fun, is not going to last very long without some hard, pragmatic planning and discipline along the way. Thanks Martin, for sharing your hard won knowledge!

I purchased this to review then hand over to my son and his band whohave toured relentlessly for the last 6 years. They have been through3 record label deals that would make even the strong bands quit and goback to a 9 to 5. Their lives are written in Marty's pages-but Martygives hope. Follow the do's & don't's like those who give advise here.If you think you can work around the proven methods of earning a livingas a touring musician you will surely learn the hard way and have plentyof debt to prove it. There is a lot of info here and some great ideas tokeep you earning money. Thanks, Marty for your insight because you livedit and the fine contributions from others in the industry. This is a manual to consistantly refer to as you journey through the adventurouscareer of entertaining the fickle public.

Okay the first couple chapters are worth the price of admission so when you got hundreds of pages left you think "BEST EVER" and then you power through it and most the rest of the book is bad filler with occasional moments. Again, worth price of admission for the beginning.

This book is so full of wisdom. You cannot skim through it like so many other music business books. Many music biz books were written by attorneys who talk about different types of contracts and defines the roles of all involved. To me, that's child's play -mere basics that you can get from blogs and websites on the internet. This book is by a touring musician who knows what's up. The author's advice comes from experience and is EXTREMELY inciteful. Imagine taking an intense class on how to make money and keep it in the music biz from an elder, wiser, much more experienced touring musician... PRICELESS man. Get it.Sincerely,Alex Gordonin Austin

This book is a monster--big thick tome of information. Every band who is seriously considering leaving the garage MUST read this book. Atkins is a fantastic writer and he is able to make the boring business side of this industry entertaining. In addition to his insight, there are many testimonials from other touring artists, managers, booking agents, merch guys/gals, etc. from everything to getting laid to getting paid. The horror stories alone are worth the price of the book. Consider TOUR:SMART to be the owner's manual to being in a band that plays shows. And as always, if what you're doing isn't working, RTFM!

It you want to be a music professional, Tour Smart is a must have for any band, manager, venue owner or pretty much anyone in the music business. Tour Smart is well organized, a great read and packed full of vital information. Listen to Martin. He can save you a lot of time, energy and frustration and make life easier for yourself and everyone around you.

This is a great book for musicians, learning what the road is like or learning how to do it better. His language is often worldly and graphic, not the Queen's language and polite style, but it's informative, well-organized and eminently useable. Real, practical, no-nonsense. He tells you clearly WHY you should do the things he says.

This book has everything you need to know about touring. If you plan on going on a tour, I highly recommend you read this book first. Martin Atkins gives readers an inside look at touring. He lists real world examples from himself and other artists he has worked with. This book includes everything from what vehicle to take, how to allocate your money, what not to do, and so much more.

In depth, hard hitting, straight talking, how-to book on taking your crap band out of the garage and across the country. Lots of invaluable advice you won't find ANYWHERE ELSE!!!! if you are in a band you NEED this book.

For anyone wanting to tour and tour smart. I suggest you read this fantastic piece of art. I've read half already and me and the band are filled with inspiration and ideas for our next tour :D

Great condition