As this semester gears up, it promises to be one of high intensity and many long nights. As my work with professors, mentors and members of the Alamosa Live Music Association, I have been fortunate enough to keep growing my networking web. A few months ago I was working for a show at a local venue that the ALMA board was helping sponsor and I had the privilege of meeting Greg Anderson, who is the producer and tour manager for the artist Richard Shindell. Greg was also kind enough to work with me via email to help answer some questions I had regarding the current state of the music industry and his specific roles within this industry. I loved the honesty and realistic outlook Greg had. While I realize the business of music is a hard one to get into, hearing the ins and outs of it, only makes me want it more!
What was your inspiration or motivation to go into the management area of music business?
It certainly came from being a musician (see below), and probably a specific type of musician (I play guitar and bass, so: an accompanist – someone who is usually in a ‘support’ role.) You tend to pay a little more attention to the ‘whole’ or the collective from those positions. This led me into becoming a producer (which I still do), so maybe having an affinity for seeing the ‘big picture’ musically shares some relationship with having an eye for the organizational aspects of being on the road. I found myself looking out for that big picture stuff during tours as a musician with other artists, and I gradually started helping out in that area. And I always organized things on tours of my own bands, so one thing lead to another.
Do you have any performance background? Has that changed the way go about tasks?
As I said above, being that type of musician and a producer helped my ability to keep a global eye on things, or on multiple tasks. And certainly being a touring musician for a long time has helped me understand what other musicians need or look for on the road.
What does a typical day on the road look like for you?
Ideally it starts the night before – making sure everyone knows what the general shape of the next day will be: the what, when, and where of the gig, the time of the lobby call, how far we have to travel, etc. This way everyone can be prepared before they go to bed, and they won’t have too many of these basic questions the next morning. Assuming the departure goes smoothly (everyone down in time and reasonably together and the van loaded, etc), then the next order of business is usually… good coffee! And breakfast if people haven’t gotten that themselves. Then of course it’s pile in the van/car/bus/plane and head off. My general time window if there’s a show that night is to try and get to the venue 4 hours before the show. This leaves time for some dinner, preparation and relaxation after the soundcheck and before the gig.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone would have told you before you got into your current position?
I really can’t think of one… the most difficult thing about doing this is how non-stop it is, but I was expecting that. I had a friend who tour managed for people like Elton John and Eric Clapton, and he would tell me about getting 2 hours of sleep every night for months at a time. Of course I’m not on such big tours, so I knew it wasn’t going to be that bad for me… though it can still be bad! But the trickiest situation that this creates is being able to deal with all the people and things you have to deal with when you’re exhausted, without losing your mind – and nobody can give you advice on that: it’s just a question of having the right personality and demeanor for it.
Are you at all concerned with the preservation or longevity of the live music industry?
Very much so. People value music less and less these days, and they have been gradually trained to think that they don’t have to pay for it. And it also seems like people can’t give themselves over to having an ‘experience’ of seeing a live show anymore, and can’t just ‘be there’ without videoing it or streaming it or something. I was playing a gig in eastern Europe last year (Turkey or Bulgaria or somewhere), and there were a bunch of young girls in the front row who were shooting the first song with their phones, and then during the 2nd song they were actually watching the first song! It’s as if we didn’t exist until they could watch it on their screens. Nobody seems to have any attention span anymore.
As technology continues to progress, do you think your job roles will alter? How so?
I certainly have to stay on top of developments in audio & video technology, and in how shows are presented in general, because at the very least I’ll have to interface with the technicians who are running those things, or even at times I may have to run them myself.
What are your favorite/least favorite aspects of the tour life?
My favorite is having the chance of meeting new people – good people – in new towns or countries, and the travel in general. Conversely, my least favorite is having to realize (and deal with) the fact that there are a few people out there who aren’t so good – people (artists or otherwise) who are selfish, self-centered, and unpleasant to others around them.
As a tour manager, are there any other tasks that you perform that someone might automatically not assume?
It can be anything – from doing sound to selling CDs. I have a feeling people either don’t know what a tour manager generally does, or they might assume that we kind of do EVERYTHING (which is reasonably true.)
How do you determine what acts you want to manage on tour? Do you seek the acts our or do they come to you?
As with most other things in the music scene, they ideally seek you out – whether you’re a musician or a studio person or a touring person. It’s generally all word of mouth.
What is the strongest personality trait someone can have looking to enter the tour management field?
Patience, patience, and more patience. Oh yes – and patience.
Emily K Johnson 