How to: Worldwide Tours

With my excitement over the fact that Miyavi is going to be in Chile, I just thought it’s the perfect time to start off my How To Series. This time around with my frustration of living in a developing country that was never “lucky” enough to be part of the “world,” in that sense, we grew up never believing to be able to EVER see our favorite artists live.

With a globalized world, this is changing — artists and managements are finally realizing the possibilities of other markets. This is even more prominent in the ever elusive, to the western fans, of Asian music. Many of my friends truly grew up watching their favorite idols from afar never imagining that they would ever EVER see them perform, unless they dish an enormous amount of money on a plane ticket all the way to the East.

As the years went by, and the Asians communities began expanding even more and more (as well as in status) in North America, Asian artists began adding small dates in significant cities like Los Angeles (or San Francisco), maybe New York… sometimes they would switch it around to Vancouver or Toronto.

However, adding a few cities in North America to your Asian Tour to make it a “world tour” – However, a World Tour is just not two parts of two continents. Of course, sometimes the amount of cities you get to visit depend on the amount of money you have to set your tour on the road, that’s why you need key cities which will let your fans travel to cities closer to you.

This is where I come:

There are a few strategic places for you to stop in your own World Tour.

America

We know most artists will be touring one big city in the US — be it either New York or Los Angeles. Sometimes they would just tour the US and consider it an American (the continent) tour, sometimes they would add Canada — the sometimes forgotten hat of the US =( — but it’s not a given. The issue most artists have with our continent is that they add Mexico to include Latin America… the problem is: Many Latin American countries need visas to get into Mexico. Yes, Brazilians, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Colombians, and a lot of other South and Central Americans… so we need a South American hub like Brazil or Chile.

Why?

Because applying for a visa SUCKS. It sucks the life out of traveling, and it would suck the life out of having fun at a concert. Also, flights from all the West South American coast would be cheaper than flying off to Mexico which is closer to the US, but you already have US dates!

Africa

Africa is a tricky one because I don’t know much about the continent, and I don’t know anyone from there. Before, we could’ve picked something like Libya which did pretty well economically, but now it’s a no-no. We can always rely on South Africa, which would be a hub destination for half of the continent… and maybe pick something like Morocco or Nigeria?

Europe

Europe is a tiny continent, so it feels pretty homey when you tour the place.

The peninsula, as of right now, is having money issues so dates in Spain and Portugal would be off. The same we can say about Greece. Turkey is a bit on the trouble zone with political unrest and all… some of the key places are, of course: the UK. London is a favorite of everyone… plus, it’s a hub for people in Iceland.

Sweden is another hub for the whole Scandinavian region, and even a bit of Russia.

Add to that a date in Germany to bring in those in France, Denmark and all Eastern Europe.

Oceania

Never forget Australia.

Asia

This, unlike Europe, is an extensive continent. Less countries, but so much space to fill. China is not a hub (it’s so far away from everything!), but it’s an important market. For Asian artists is already a must-stop — some international ones sometimes skip it. Shanghai is an important stop, there’s art everywhere and people from everywhere. There are music clubs where you can play, the indie scene is ginormous.

If you’re not stopping by Shanghai, you must stop by Beijing. There’s no trendiest place right now as Beijing for artists.

Your next stop is Korea, because South Korea rocks and it’s also exploding with culture and talent. US and Europe indie acts, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to play some small gigs in here.

Everyone’s favorite stop is Japan, because everyone loves Japan. Most world tours have always included Japan because it’s the second biggest music market in the world, so a lot of bands have played gigs in Tokyo and Osaka.

But never EVER forget a South East Asian gig. Maybe the Philippines is a good hub there, it’s right between the South East Asian coast, and Indonesia.

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What do you think about world tours?

Do you wish they were more extensive and reach your country?

Whom do you wish you could see performing live once in your lifetime?