Touring

Financial Benefits of Touring

Musicians typically tour for the financial benefits associated with touring, which can be substantial. In 2002, touring revenues exceeded record sales by a factor of 7.5 among the 35 highest-grossing musicians. Between 1999 and 2009, sales of concert tickets tripled from $1.5 billion to $4.6 billion, partly because of a marked increase in ticket prices. Touring allows musicians to access new markets and fans. Once a band is established in their regional area, they may undertake a tour to extend their fan base and sell compact discs (CDs) or digital downloads. This is particularly the case in countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States, which are large and have scattered populations. However, in smaller countries such as those in Europe, touring may also be lucrative because of the large populations in small geographies. Classical music labels rarely make profits, and classical ensembles have often supplemented (or sourced) their income from touring.

Regular music touring is a product of the industrial age. While musicians toured before the 19th century, such journeys were fraught with dangers, and were uncomfortable. With the rise of railways and packet shipping, international travel became much easier, quicker, and safer. In the 1840s, many blackface troupes toured the United States, England, and Australia. After the Civil War, following the expansion of America's railroad network, New York popular theater troupes began touring. The Black Crook (1866), a harmless if titillating production, became the United States' first national hit, touring with complex sets, a large cast, and a series of often unrelated songs, [Page 1139]producing enormous profits. Evangeline, first produced in 1874, toured for 30 years. Simultaneously, vaudeville circuits developed, such as the Orpheum circuit in the United States, or Harry Rickard's Tivoli circuit in Australia. The latter especially sought international talent for extended contracts around the colonies.

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