Touring Canada can be an effective way to increase your fanbase and generate some revenue, especially in this era where most income comes from live tours. But what if you are a non-Canadian band gigging in Canada? Does it make sense to bring your own sidemen or hire local players?
When you add up all the costs, energy, and time of travelling cross-border with sidemen, a budget should be completed to consider whether to hire local musicians, or bring your own.
In this example, we will look at cost comparisons:
- Scenario: US Musicians on Canadian Show Tour
- Band Citizenship: American
- Travelling From: USA (central)
- Tour Start: Vancouver, BC Canada
- Tour End: Canada (central)
- Duration: Based on 2 shows Vancouver (hire local), then 3 shows to central Canada (travel).
In this example of a USA Band using a Canadian Drummer for a Canadian Tour, Savings could amount to Several Thousand Dollars depending on the Scope of Production
($3,325 to $4,550 in this scenario).NOTES:
1 Includes Return Travel After Tour
2 Freight Costs to ship drums from USA (or rent all gear)
3 Based on 2 shows Vancouver (hire local), then 3 shows across Canada (travel).
4 Border brokers, custom fees, misc tour expenses
5 Drummer / Sideman Wages for 5 shows
6 Pay Canadian drummer in Canadian Currency
vancouverdrummer 