4 Proven Strategies for Touring Artists
Tour season is in full swing. Scroll through Instagram, and you’ll see artists dropping dates left and right. But touring isn’t just about ticket sales anymore—it’s a massive opportunity to drive revenue far beyond the stage.
Here are four game-changing strategies to maximize your tour’s potential, whether you’re gearing up for your first show or already on the road:
1. Tour Announcements → Build Your Email List
Don’t just post dates and hope for the best. Use your tour announcement to funnel fans into your Shopify store and build your email list.
Case in point? Donald Glover:
When teasing a new track, he used Instagram to send fans to his store, where they had to drop their email to unlock the full song. Then, at the end of the track—surprise—a tour announcement.
What did he gain? City-specific email lists that he can use to target fans directly, long after the tour ends. Fans got exclusive content, and he got valuable data. It’s a win-win.
2. Pre-Sale Access → Grow Your Fan Club
Why hand out pre-sale codes when you could use them to fuel your fan club?
Take Nickelback as an example:
They bundled pre-sale access into a $33/year membership using tools like Single. This approach not only locked in thousands of superfans but also created recurring revenue before they hit the road.
3. Bring Your IRL Show Online
Not every fan can make it to your concert, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out. Livestream your shows to connect with fans worldwide and drive more revenue.
Take Travis Scott for example. He live streamed his Rome show on Shopify when Utopia dropped, bundling stream access with merch and music. Or another example? The Barbarians of California. The band recently streamed their debut show live, letting fans join the mosh pit from their couches. They kept the momentum going with a replay available the next day.
Doing something like this directly from your Shopify store can help with:
- Drive traffic to your store
- Boost merch sales during and after the show
- Engage fans globally
Pro Tip: Use tour footage to create a rental bundle with merch for anniversaries (e.g., 1, 5, or 10 years). Fans will eat it up.
4. Tour Content → Create Exclusive Tour Diaries
From backstage clips to soundcheck footage, don’t let your tour content get buried on Instagram. Funnel that excitement into your community.
Just look at Phil Wickham’s playbook:
He offered fans a $30 all-access pass to stream every show on his tour. Even simple phone footage can work wonders when shared with your most dedicated fans.
What’s the payoff?
- Increased site traffic
- Higher merch sales
- Smarter insights on where to tour next
The Bottom Line:
Your tour is more than just ticket sales—it’s your chance to pull fans in early, keep them engaged, and drive serious revenue.
Feeling Inspired?
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