Taking The Band On The Road – Tour Accounting – 2017 Topic 6

Experienced attorneys only

Taking the Band on the Road – Tour Accounting

John Forgerty penned a song “Travelin’ Band” about the trials, tribulations and thrills while he was in the heavy touring band Creedence Clearwater Revival. He wrote in part, “Playin' in a travelin' band, yeah. Well, I'm flyin' across the land, tryin' to get a hand, Playin' in a travelin' band”. From independent to heritage bands and all the pop and rock stars in between, touring continues to be a major source of income for artists. Further, assembling a great team for touring and structuring an economical plan for a particular band is very important to the success of the band and for a tour to be in the black. Given the tremendous amount of touring today, how does a band get on the road and “get a hand”? What type of planning is needed and how does the band’s team work with tour promoters? Further, how do you figure out a budget for the tour, including production expenses, employee pay and equipment costs? Who handles travel arrangements and problems as they occur while the band is touring? This panel discussed the crucial components of touring and tour accounting. Topics included: assembling a strong touring team, booking and routing a tour, tour budgeting and income and expense accounting, tour management issues, structuring and negotiating promoter, production and merchandising contracts, and settlement matters.

Speaker:

Joyce Dollinger, Esq.,  (Moderator)

David Lory., Producer / Manager

Joseph P. Callaghan, CPA, Prager Metis

Peter Pappalardo, Agent, Artist Group International

Monika A. Tashman, Esq., Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP