Tour Management Glossary
The words tour managers, production managers, and crews use every day on the road, defined in plain English. New to touring or onboarding new crew? Start here.
Roles
Tour Manager (TM)
- The person responsible for the day-to-day running of a tour: schedules, travel, hotels, advancing, settlements, and keeping the artist and crew informed. The TM owns the day sheet and is the main point of contact for promoters and venues on show day. What does a tour manager do?.
Production Manager (PM)
- Oversees the technical side of a tour: staging, lighting, audio, video, rigging, trucking, and the production crew. The PM advances production requirements with each venue and runs load-in and load-out.
Road Manager
- Often used interchangeably with tour manager on smaller tours. On larger tours, the road manager handles the artist and band party directly while the tour manager handles the wider operation.
Stage Manager
- Runs the stage during load-in, changeovers, and the show itself, calling cues and keeping set times on schedule.
Promoter Rep
- The promoter’s on-site representative at the venue. They handle settlement, hospitality, local crew, and any issues with the deal on show day.
FOH Engineer
- Front of house engineer. Mixes the sound the audience hears from the mix position in the room.
Monitor Engineer
- Mixes what the performers hear on stage through wedges or in-ear monitors.
Show Day
Day Sheet
- A one-page summary of everything happening on a given tour day: travel, venue details, schedule (load-in, soundcheck, doors, set times, curfew), hotel, contacts, and notes. It is the most-referenced document on a tour. Free day sheet template.
Tour Book (Itinerary)
- A bound or PDF collection of every day sheet for a run, plus routing, contacts, and hotel details. Handed out before the tour starts so the party has the whole run in one place. Free tour book template.
Lobby Call
- The time the touring party meets in the hotel lobby to depart, usually for the venue, airport, or bus.
Bus Call
- The time everyone must be on the tour bus before it leaves, typically after load-out for an overnight drive.
Load-In
- The time production and gear start moving into the venue. Everything else on the show day schedule is built backward and forward from load-in.
Soundcheck
- The scheduled slot for the band and audio crew to check instruments, monitors, and the house mix before doors.
Line Check
- A quick check that every input is working, done by the crew without the full band. Used when there is no time for a full soundcheck, often for support acts.
Doors
- The time the venue opens to the audience.
Changeover
- The gap between sets when the stage is reset from one act to the next.
Curfew
- The hard time the show must end, set by the venue or local ordinance. Running past curfew usually means fines.
Load-Out
- Packing up production and gear after the show and loading it back onto trucks or trailers.
Show Day / Travel Day / Day Off
- The three basic day types on a tour schedule. Show days have a performance, travel days are spent getting to the next market, and days off have no obligations. Day management in TourPro.
Advancing
Advance / Advancing
- Confirming every detail of a show with the venue and promoter ahead of time: schedule, production specs, parking, catering, guest list, merch, and contacts. Advancing usually starts weeks before the date. Advances in TourPro.
Rider
- The attachment to the performance contract listing what the artist requires. Usually split into a technical rider and a hospitality rider.
Technical Rider
- Lists production requirements: stage size, power, audio and lighting specs, input list, stage plot, and local crew needs.
Hospitality Rider
- Lists dressing room, catering, and comfort requirements for the artist and crew.
Stage Plot
- A diagram showing where each performer, instrument, monitor, and power drop sits on stage.
Input List
- A numbered list of every audio channel the show uses, with the microphone or DI for each.
Routing
- The order of cities and dates on a tour, planned to minimize drive time and cost between shows.
Hold
- A tentative reservation of a date at a venue. Holds are ranked (first hold, second hold) until one is confirmed.
Travel
Fly Date
- A show day where the party flies in rather than driving, which changes the whole schedule around airport timing. Flights in TourPro.
Drive Day
- A travel day spent on the road between markets with no show.
Room Block
- A group of hotel rooms reserved together for the touring party, usually under one confirmation with a rooming list. Hotels in TourPro.
Rooming List
- The list of who is staying in which room for a given hotel stay. Free rooming list template.
Day Room
- A hotel room booked for daytime use only, typically so a bus-touring party can shower and rest on a show day.
Ground Transportation (Ground)
- Vans, cars, and shuttles moving the party between airport, hotel, and venue. Travel, hotels, and flights.
Money
Guarantee
- The fixed fee the promoter agrees to pay the artist for a show, regardless of ticket sales.
Versus Deal
- A deal where the artist receives the greater of a guarantee or a percentage of net box office receipts. Worked versus deal example.
Settlement
- The end-of-night accounting between the tour manager and promoter rep that reconciles ticket sales, expenses, and what the artist is owed. Free settlement sheet template.
Buyout
- Cash paid to the touring party in place of a meal (meal buyout) or other rider item.
Per Diem (PD)
- A daily cash allowance paid to band and crew to cover personal expenses on the road. Per diems for touring musicians.
Merch Split
- The percentage of merchandise sales the venue takes in exchange for selling space and staff.
Hospitality and Access
Guest List
- The list of people admitted to a show free of charge, usually capped per artist and approved by the tour manager. Guest list and approvals.
Comps
- Complimentary tickets. Often counted against a per-show allocation in the deal.
All Access Pass (AAA)
- A credential, usually a laminate, giving the holder access to every area of the venue including the stage.
Laminate
- A tour-wide credential worn by the touring party for the whole run, as opposed to single-show stickers or wristbands.
Meet and Greet (M&G)
- A scheduled session where the artist meets fans, VIP ticket holders, or partners.
Production
Backline
- The amplifiers, drum kit, keyboards, and other instrument equipment on stage. Backline can be carried or rented locally.
Rigging
- Hanging lighting, audio, and video equipment from the venue structure using motors and trusses.
Spot Times
- The time riggers mark the points (spots) on the venue ceiling where rigging will hang, usually the first call of a production day.
Local Crew (Stagehands)
- Crew hired by the venue or promoter in each city to help with load-in and load-out.
Put it all in one place
TourPro keeps your schedule, advances, travel, hotels, guest lists, and day sheets in one shared workspace for the whole touring party. Free for teams up to 5.