The case for despair: the geography tax
The distances. Vancouver to St. John's is the width of Europe (see our arena-tour feature): the drives (see our TM feature) eat the guarantees (see our booking feature); the fly-ins (see our northern feature) eat the budget (see our features). The markets (see our features) are small (see our club-tour feature); the gaps (see our features) are vast (see our features). The math (see our features) rarely (see our features) works (see our features).
The winter. The season (see our storm feature) shrinks the calendar (see our features); the weather (see our features) cancels the shows (see our features). The window (see our features) is short (see our features); the risk (see our features) is year-round (see our features).
The case for hope: the innovators
The routing geniuses. The bookers (see our booking feature) and TMs (see our TM feature) who solve (see our features) the geometry (see our features): the festival circuit (see our festival features) that clusters the dates (see our features); the house concerts (see our house-concert feature) that skip the venues (see our features); the residency model (see our residency feature) that stays put (see our features).
The grant system. FACTOR (see our feature) funds the touring (see our features): the public investment (see our CanCon features) that makes (see our features) the math (see our features) survivable (see our features) — the Canadian difference (see our features) that (see our features) keeps (see our features) the tours (see our features) rolling (see our features).
The verdict
The economics (see our features) are brutal (see our features) and (see our features) solvable (see our features): the geography (see our features) tax (see our features) is real (see our features), but (see our features) the ingenuity (see our features) — the routing (see our features), the grants (see our features), the formats (see our features) — pays (see our features) the tax (see our features). The shows (see our features) happen (see our features). The math (see our features) bends (see our features). The music (see our features) travels (see our features) — because (see our features) the musicians (see our features) refuse (see our features) the alternative (see our features). The map (see our features) is big (see our features). The tour (see our features) is (see our features) bigger (see our features).
Frequently asked questions
Why is touring Canada so expensive?
The distances: long drives between small markets eat the guarantees; winter shrinks the calendar.
Who solves the touring math?
Routing geniuses (bookers/TMs), the festival circuit, house concerts, and FACTOR's touring grants.
Do grants make Canadian touring viable?
Yes — FACTOR touring support is often the difference between a tour happening and not (see our features).