Touring as an independent musician is one of the most rewarding and most exhausting things you can do. You're driving 6 hours to play for 15 people in a city where nobody knows your name. And somehow it's still worth it. Because those 15 people might become 50 next time. And that one show might lead to three more.
But DIY touring only works if you plan it right. Here's the complete playbook.
Step 1: Pick Your Route
Don't just throw darts at a map. Think about geography. You want to minimize drive time between stops and maximize the number of shows per trip. A good rule of thumb: no more than 4-5 hours of driving between cities, with a show every night or every other night.
Some classic DIY routes:
- East Coast Run: NYC, Philly, DC, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta
- Midwest Loop: Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Madison, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis
- Southeast Swing: Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Atlanta
- West Coast: Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, San Diego
- Texas Triangle: Austin, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio
Step 2: Start Booking 8-12 Weeks Out
Venues book weeks in advance. Some book months out. If you're trying to book a tour for next month, you're already late.
Start reaching out to venues at least 8 weeks before your tour dates. 12 weeks is better. Send personalized emails to each venue with your target dates and a link to your music.
Step 3: Budget Realistically
Here's what a DIY tour actually costs per day:
- Gas: $40-80 depending on your vehicle and distances
- Food: $30-50 per person
- Lodging: $0 (if you crash with friends or sleep in the van) to $80-150 for a motel
- Tolls and parking: $10-20
For a solo artist, a week-long tour might cost $500-1,000 out of pocket. For a band of four, multiply that. Plan to lose money on your first tour. The goal isn't profit. The goal is planting seeds.
Step 4: The Booking Email
Every venue gets the same basic pitch, customized for their room:
- One sentence about who you are and what you sound like
- A link to your best live video
- Your target date range
- A direct question: "Do you have any openings the week of [dates]?"
Keep it short. No attachments. No EPK PDFs. If the booker wants more info, they'll ask.
Step 5: Follow Up Relentlessly
You'll email 50 venues. Maybe 10 will reply. Of those 10, maybe 5-7 will book you. That's a good ratio. But it only works if you follow up with the other 40 who didn't respond.
Send a polite follow-up 5-7 days after your initial email. Then another one a week later. Three touches is the minimum. Five is ideal. Most shows get booked on the follow-up, not the first email.
Step 6: Advance Every Show
Two weeks before each show, email the venue to confirm:
- Load-in time
- Soundcheck time
- Set length
- PA and backline availability
- Payment terms (guarantee, door split, percentage)
- Where to park and load in
Write it all down. Don't assume anything. The number one cause of bad shows is poor communication, not bad music.
Step 7: Promote Like Your Life Depends on It
Nobody is going to promote your show for you. Post about it on social media. Multiple times. Tag the venue. Tag local musicians in that city. DM people you know in the area. Create an event page. Put up flyers if you can.
The difference between 5 people and 50 people at an out-of-town show is almost always promotion.
Step 8: Document Everything
Take photos. Shoot video. Post stories. This content becomes your proof of concept for the next tour. It shows other venues that you're a real touring act, not just someone asking for a date on their calendar.
The Easier Way
If planning a DIY tour sounds like a full-time job on top of your full-time job of being a musician, that's because it is. Shows For Artists can handle the venue outreach part for you. You set your target cities and dates, and the system emails matching venues with personalized pitches from your own Gmail. It follows up automatically and lets you know when venues reply.
Shows For Artists sends booking emails to real venues from your Gmail. from $49/month. Cancel anytime.