Working at an independent record label has its perks, and one of them is being able to see how other bands tour and manage their expenses. Sometimes you are so deeply involved that you know how much the band is making on any given night of a tour – because of the almighty “perk” that happens when you sign to a label: TOUR SUPPORT!

What most bands do not think of when taking this is that it gets charged back to them; this means that whatever they are taking from the label, they will have to pay back through sales. Now granted most bands do not see any payments from the label because they are deep in debt due to all of the expenses of putting out records.

The point of this blog is to illustrate that tour support is just a temporary fix. A band should really keep their hands out of their label’s wallet; it will help them in the long run, and generate better returns as the years go along. The more independent you keep it, the better you will do.