Concert tours are one of the important aspects of the music industry and are loved by music lovers. As for artists and fans, concert tours are always very thrilling, but it is always important to think more about the timing of the events. That means many factors are taken into consideration before the best time for an artist to start a concert tour can be decided.
There is probably no better way to start thinking about how an artist’s album cycle might be affected by the eight threats than to simply list them out. Many large-scale concert tours are set up to coincide with the release of an album. This allows fans to listen to new songs live and the artist to promote and make money from the new album through ticket and merchandise sales. Tours are usually initiated before the release of an album to build up the fans and anticipation. The tours then usually last for about a year or more after the release of the album.
For instance, when an artist drops an album in October, they will schedule a large-scale, self-headlined tour for the following spring. They may perform in some lower-profile shows and gigs with the album during its launch and then embark on a proper tour after six months. It appears that the headline concerts could then be held periodically, say, 10-12 months.
You also see many artists plan tours in the summer a year or more after an album is released as well. This enables them to perform in large open-air venues such as amphitheaters and festivals during summer. It also separates the touring and writing phases, meaning artists are not always on the road or attempting to record an album during a tour. After the release of an album, it is common for the artist to tour for at least one or two years before going back to recording a new album.
Other key factors include season and weather. Live concerts especially those held outdoors are common during the summer since it is the peak of the year. Most of the popular artists with big tours are known to align their touring times with the summer season. It is mainly because spring to early fall is the time when good outdoor locations in North America are gettable.
Some artists also intentionally plan tours around the days when schools are closed They may also avoid scheduling to release movies at matinees during spring break or ensure that some areas are released during long weekend holidays. Winter holidays are best avoided as most fans already have their plans during this period and they are mostly incompatible with the process of purchasing concert tickets. It can happen if artists are involved in performing seasonal concerts that are directly associated with certain annual celebrations.
The other aspect is geography and the logistics of touring also play a crucial role in determining when to schedule tours. I could observe a lot of effort is required to plot out a realistic route that would cover as many big markets as possible. One could closely coordinate the traveling schedule to coincide with the timetable of a particular sports team to have more available dates in large metropolitan areas. Or plan several consecutive shows in smaller regional zones to make the travel worthwhile and economical.
They also check other schedules that are convenient for fans so they don’t have to miss one event for another. For instance, you will hardly find stadium rock bands performing around the southern U. S. during the fall season because of competition with SEC college football. Neither do Midwest arenas challenge March Madness basketball.
This also influences the timing aspect by regulating cash flow. Sightseeing entails initial investment in advertising, transportation of equipment, fees for bookings, and others. Booking concerts that are months or even a year in advance is also good because the money comes in one by one instead of all at once. Also, fans like having several months of ticket self-purchase on their favorite shows to plan for.
This also applies to health and personal factors that have a part to play as well. Travel is also a very demanding process on the physical and mental state of artists; for this reason, they should define periods of rest in advance. This is also good for some genres as to play long, belt-high notes in concerts day by day. Other commitments like weddings, child care, and more might also compel artists to exclude particular time intervals.
Often, several factors come together to render touring untenable for significant chunks of the year as an artist. However, when you introduce factors such as weather, sports, holidays, album cycles, school terms, and others- the potential touring weeks are reduced. That is why you find that many summer sheds and amphitheater tours are prevalent in the market.
Organizers also look at the various acts that are on tour when planning their events. Ideally, they do not want their tour to be in the same markets as the competitors with similar artists. In the same way tour coordination assists them in reaching out to as many people as possible, as fans cannot have two options that are similar.
Although big-name attractions can pack an arena at the drop of a hat, it is still beneficial to carefully time events to increase attendance and minimize conflict. Lastly, artists attempt to map tours when they understand fans will do everything possible to attend shows. All these details ensure that artists can choose the right time slots for touring that appeal to their audience.
Therefore, to sum it all up – album cycle, weather, school schedule, holidays, sports seasons, concert tour logistics, financial planning, and so much more all have a part to play in deciding the timing of large-scale concert tours. It is not an easy task, with many factors to consider, but artists attempt to schedule tours in the spring to fall period, after the album release. This coincides with the most fan excitement after new music and presents the least conflict with seasons. Since open-air sheds and festivals are most popular in the summer, most tours converge on amphitheaters during those sunny months.
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