Live Music Business

Per Diems: How to Pay Them and Still Save (Some) Money

Per diems can be a major expense in your tour budget. They also tell your crew exactly how much you value them. (In case you didn't know: the term comes from the Latin "per diem," meaning "per day," and in touring it refers to the daily cash allowance you give each band and crew member to cover their meals and incidental expenses while on the road....

Per Diems: How to Pay Them and Still Save (Some) Money - Live Music Business A guide for artist managers and independent music artist on how to still pay a decent per diem rate, without breaking the bank

You Know What A Carnet Is – But Where Do You Get The Damn Thing Stamped?

A guide for UK-based artist managers on the 'dark arts' of using the ATA carnet for musical equipment This guide is for UK-based artist managers who are responsible for getting their artist's equipment in and out of the UK. It assumes you already know broadly what an ATA carnet so I am not going over that here. Instead, I'm going into the 'dark arts' of knowing where and when to get it the carnet 'stamped' - the vital action of getting the gear exported and re-imported....

Where To Get The ATA Carnet Stamped A guide for UK-based indie musicians and artist managers on the 'dark arts' of where to get the carnet stamped. Written by a concert tour manager.

I attended an online workshop about visas for entry into North America. The Music Managers Forum (MMF) hosted the workshop, and Sophie Amable & Oleg Gaidar from WTA Consulting, an immigration agency, presented it.

There were two key takeaways for me. The first was advice on documentation and record-keeping to support the visa application and entry into the United States. The second was guidance on how to handle the physical interview required for approval.

Documentation and Record-Keeping

The documentation required to successfully compile a sponsored visa petition, particularly for proving 'exceptional talent' (such as for an O-1 visa), must be compiled into an extensive dossier.

Apparently, you should begin compiling this record of artist's achievements long before a tour is planned. This dossier is essential for proving "exceptional ability" or "international renown." It should include:

-All forms of press releases.

-Details of awards and nominations received.

-Mentions and reviews in the press.

-Social media excerpts

Good record keeping also involves maintaining files for all the artist’s support personnel (in the case of an application for O-2) and ensuring passports are in order.

Key personnel (concert tour managers, for instance) should consider having two or even three passports to manage international travel while one passport is surrendered to the US embassy (this would be for about a week). The petition itself must also specify the artist’s intended activities in the US, such as writing camps, live shows, or recording sessions. Your US booking agent should be involved in this activity.

Preparing for the interview

The second takeaway concerned the role of the interview after submitting the application. The interview at the U.S. Embassy is not a "rubber-stamping exercise." It is a serious vetting procedure.

Preparation is Key: Applicants must be prepared by their visa agent to confidently and accurately answer questions about their work and purpose of travel. Sophie and Oleg were adamant about this.

Consequences of Failure: An applicant who appears unprepared, evasive, or provides false information risks an immediate denial.

Group vs. Solo Denials: On a group (P-1) petition, one member's denial does not automatically affect the others. However, if they deny an O-1 artist, they will also deny the associated O-2 support personnel visas.

This guide from another immigration agency, Viva La Visa, also gives some advice on how applicants should prepare for the interview and how they should conduct themselves at the embassy:

https://bit.ly/VivaLaVisaUSInterview

Viva La Visa advises successful applicants to check their Arrival-Departure Record (I94) to see if it accurately reflects their allowed stay. They recommend downloading the record and taking a screenshot from the site at:

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/recent-search

Conclusion

There is much more to this topic, and you might visit the MMF site to watch a replay of the workshop. (You will have to join as an MMF member if you are not already).

What Sophia and Oleg did not allude to was how to keep the dossier with press releases, social media posts, etc. I am assuming these things have to be digital. Would a private Pintrest board work? Or a hidden page on the artist’s website?

Please share your solutions if you have compiled such a dossier for your artists.

Thanks!

Andy

I94 - Official Website

Your splitter is probably overweight. Please read on to know why that is important, and what you can do.

Illegal and Dangerous - the Overweight Splitter Van The splitter van is the workhorse of UK/European touring. And yours is probably overweight. This has legal and financial implications for you and your artists.

A1 certificates to show National Insurance Contributions (NIC) are taking six-eight months to arrive

Are Your Artists Touring Abroad in 2026? Get Them to Apply for Their A1 Now! The certificate for National Insurance Contributions (NIC) is taking six-eight months to arrive.

So, you think you need to hire a concert tour manager (CTM).

It’s wise to assess your circumstances and clarify your goals before contacting a CTM. And in your discussion with candidates for the position, you can ask them thoughts regarding the activities, problems, and hurdles involved in concert touring.

Read on to find out what I suggest.

The How (and Why) of Hiring a Concert Tour Manager - by a Concert Tour Manager When to bring in a concert tour manager and how to pick the right one

Barbie's tour manager...

Barbie Careers Career of the Year 2 Dolls & Accessories with Music Star & Tour Manager in Removable Fashions, JDM09 Barbie doll celebrates the world of Music with a music-loving careers set featuring two music industry roles together. The Women in Music collectible set highlights a Music Star and Tour Managers careers. Each doll showcases their career in music with their professional outfit and accessories rel...

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

Books, help, and advice, about the live music business

I have written one guide to the work of a concert tour manager (CTM) on www.livemusicbusiness. That article is comprehensive and is prescriptive – it does not give you an insight into the inter-personal skills, knowledge, and ‘character’ involved in concert tour management. And it does not tell what makes a good concert tour manager. The following article will give you some guidance.

Part Two - What Does a Concert Tour Manager Do? 'What makes a good concert tour manager' is another way of explaining what a tour manager does. Written by a concert tour manager, this article explains all.

Has communicating with a monitor engineer frustrated you in the past? Did you feel you could not make yourself understood? Beyond needing your mix to be louder, were you able to get the sound you wanted in your in-ears, or in your monitor wedge?
This guide tells you how to best work with a monitor engineer, getting the sound and workflow that will please both of you.

How to Talk to a Monitor Engineer: Tips for a Better Stage Sound Discover practical advice for musicians to work with monitor engineers. From sound terms to hand signals, get the tools you need for better stage mixes.

This article explains how to use 'dots' on laminates to give extra-special privileges to some holders of the coveted AAA pass.

Join the Dots - Using Special Stickers on AAA Laminates for Es**rt Privileges - Live Music Business Everyone who is important will want the AAA pass. How do you decide who gets all access - and where exactly does all access get them?