What is it?
Learn tour management in real-time, with real people, and real outcomes. The tour is the classroom. Bus Edition is a five-day immersion on a national concert tour. Learn, live and work on the bus, behind the stage, in the green room, on the road, and at the merch booth.
Designed by Martin Atkins and inspired by his best-selling book, Tour:Smart, Bus Edition embeds students on a US concert tour for four to five shows throughout the country.
“This was a life-changing experience” - Fall 2019 participant
Some things cannot be taught. Some things need to be lived…
An in-class role-play cannot simulate the adrenaline, weariness, and immediacy involved in settling a show, running a meet-and-greet, losing and finding a lead singer, organizing receipts, and generally surviving a tour.
I hear, and I forget
I see, and I remember
I do, and I understand.
—Ancient Chinese proverb
Tour managing puts you somewhere between travel agent, psychiatrist, trouble-shooter, imaginative thinker, diplomat, plate-spinner, and accountant; watching the bottom line but then understanding when it doesn’t matter.
Really great tour management is unseen. It is the invisible difference of multiplied minutiae that either build a higher platform for the artist to jump off of or slowly mount on their backs as a weight to carry, suffocate, and sap. It is a compassionate understanding of the stress of being on the road. It is respect first and foremost for the craft, the tradition, and the honor of the field.
Experience new cities and new cultures while learning and building a community that will support a career in touring.
Tour management jobs aren’t posted to traditional job boards. This is a field of connections and networks that can only be built and cemented on the road.
There is no better teacher than experience. This is a 24/7 commitment. There are no breaks and no make-up work. Learn more in five days than in an entire semester of traditional study.
Crafted by tour managers, educators, industry professionals, and artists, Tour:Smart Bus Edition combines traditional instruction (lectures, demonstrations) reflective practice, and hands-on, real-world experience.
The immersion builds critical thinking skills, enhances problem-solving abilities, and internalizes the mindset required to be successful in the music business.
Each day on the road focuses on a touring hub, each night brings a show to life, and the hours in between are curated for reflection and growth. Areas of focus include:
Tour Management | Venue and Accessibility | Merch | Production | Ticketing and VIP Experiences
Where experience meets education.
Martin Atkins (founder, lead instructor): 35+ years of tour management, author of best-selling book Tour:Smart, Grammy Award-winning musician, entrepreneur, studio owner, and educator.
