Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) Unit code: J0M6 34

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 1

Higher National Unit Specification

General information

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Unit code: J0M6 34

Superclass: LK

Publication date: August 2018

Source: Scottish Qualifications Authority

Version: 02

Unit purpose

This unit is designed to give the learner a broad knowledge of the role and duties of a

concert tour manager and will enable them to gain experience in applying organisational

skills to tour management. It examines the touring aspect of the live music industry including

the roles of the personnel who operate within it and the financial considerations for live

touring. This unit will also give the learner the opportunity to identify different challenges

encountered on a live tour and evaluate the response to them. The unit has been designed

for learners interested in artist management and for organising concert tours. It will be of

benefit to learners wishing to pursue a career in music, music business or sound production.

Outcomes

On successful completion of the unit the learner will be able to:

1 Explain the processes behind organising and managing a tour.

2 Create a budget and itinerary for a tour.

3 Provide and evaluate potential responses to challenges encountered on a live tour.

Credit points and level

1 Higher National unit Credit at SCQF level 7 (8 SCQF Credit Points at SCQF level 7)

Recommended entry to the unit

While entry is at the discretion of the centre, it would be beneficial if learners have good

communication and numeracy skills. These may be demonstrated by the achievement of

Core Skill Communication and Numeracy at Higher level or by possession of Higher English

and Mathematics (SCQF level 6). It would be beneficial if learners have completed, or are

working towards the Music Industry (SCQF level 7), Music Business: Live Music Industry

(SCQF level 7) and Music Industry: Budgeting and Accounts (SCQF level 7) units.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 2

Higher National Unit Specification: General information (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Core Skills

Achievement of this Unit gives automatic certification of the following Core Skills component:

Core Skill component Critical Thinking at SCQF level 5

Planning and Organising at SCQF level 5

There are also opportunities to develop aspects of Core Skills which are highlighted in the

Support Notes of this Unit specification.

Context for delivery

This is an optional unit in the framework for HN Music Business. It is recommended that it

should be taught and assessed within the subject area of the group award to which it

contributes.

The Assessment Support Pack (ASP) for this unit provides assessment and marking

guidelines that exemplify the national standard for achievement. It is a valid, reliable and

practicable assessment. Centres wishing to develop their own assessments should refer to

the ASP to ensure a comparable standard. A list of existing ASPs is available to download

from SQA’s website (http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/46233.2769.html).

Equality and inclusion

This unit specification has been designed to ensure that there are no unnecessary barriers to

learning or assessment. The individual needs of learners should be taken into account when

planning learning experiences, selecting assessment methods or considering alternative

evidence.

Further advice can be found on our website www.sqa.org.uk/assessmentarrangements.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 3

Higher National Unit Specification: Statement of standards

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Acceptable performance in this unit will be the satisfactory achievement of the standards set

out in this part of the unit specification. All sections of the statement of standards are

mandatory and cannot be altered without reference to SQA.

Outcome 1

Explain the processes behind organising and managing a tour.

Knowledge and/or skills

 Tour logistics

 Budgeting for a tour

 Legal/contractual responsibilities

 Communication with stakeholders

 Personal qualities and skills required for tour management

Outcome 2

Create a budget and itinerary for a tour.

Knowledge and/or skills

 Tour budgeting

 Promoter details

 Venue details

 Accommodation details

 Travel arrangements

 Pier Diems

 Equipment load in / load out details

 Soundcheck and performance times

Outcome 3

Provide and evaluate potential responses to challenges encountered on a live tour.

Knowledge and/or skills

 Justification of budget and itinerary

 Identifying common tour issues

 Personnel issues relating to musicians and crew

 Solution focused approach to rectifying problems

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 4

Higher National Unit Specification: Statement of standards (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Evidence requirements for this unit

Outcome 1

Learners will need to provide evidence to demonstrate their knowledge and/or skills by

showing that they can:

 explain the following logistical considerations when organising a tour:

— accommodation

— travel

— crew and personnel changes

— equipment

 explain five key elements that must be budgeted for when organising a tour.

 explain two key legal and contractual requirements necessary when organising a tour.

 briefly define the roles of the following stakeholders, explaining what the tour manager

has to communicate with each:

— artist manager

— booking agent

— promoter

— venue owner

— sound engineer

 explain the need for the following qualities and skills when operating as a tour manager:

— leadership

— time management

— self-discipline

— diplomacy

Written and/or oral evidence will be generated under open-book conditions at appropriate

points in the unit.

Outcome 2

Learners will need to provide written and/or oral evidence to demonstrate their knowledge

and/or skills by producing a spreadsheet and tour itinerary in response to a given brief that

shows they can:

 create in tabular form a projected tour budget which must include ten examples of

expenditure and two sources of revenue. The spreadsheet must demonstrate the

running total for the tour float/funds, with this figure calculated per day.

 create a detailed five date tour itinerary that includes:

— promoter details

— venue details

— travel and accommodation details

— tour manager contact details

— per diems

— load in/out times

— soundcheck/stage times

— running order

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 5

Higher National Unit Specification: Statement of standards (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Product evidence in the form of a spreadsheet and word-processed itinerary will be

generated under open-book conditions at appropriate points in the unit.

Outcome 3

Learners will need to provide evidence to demonstrate their knowledge and/or skills by

showing that they can, in response to a brief:

 provide three different responses to a financial challenge that a tour manager could

encounter during a live tour and evaluate each of these responses to select the most

appropriate course of action.

 provide three different responses to a logistical/itinerary challenge that a tour manager

could encounter during a live tour and evaluate each of these responses to select the

most appropriate course of action.

 provide three different responses to a personnel challenge that a tour manager could

encounter during a live tour and evaluate each of these responses to select the most

appropriate course of action.

Written and/or oral evidence will be generated under open-book conditions at appropriate

points in the unit.

It is not necessary that all outcomes are assessed sequentially as either Outcome 1 or 2 may

be assessed first. It is recommended that Outcome 3 is assessed after completion of

Outcome 1 and 2.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 6

Higher National Unit Support Notes

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Unit support notes are offered as guidance and are not mandatory.

While the exact time allocated to this unit is at the discretion of the centre, the notional

design length is 40 hours.

Guidance on the content and context for this unit

This unit is designed to give a grounding in the roles, responsibilities and challenges

presented in tour management.

The unit will give the learner an overall appreciation of the roles, practices and procedures

necessary to operate as a tour manager. In doing so, the learner will be given the

background knowledge that will prepare them for a role within concert touring personnel.

As a practical task the learner will prepare a tour budget and itinerary in response to a brief.

It will enable the learner to gain experience in applying organisational skills to tour

management. The learner will be given the opportunity to evaluate different responses to

challenges that tour personnel encounter on a live tour.

It will also provide learners with the knowledge and skills to utilise software packages such

as spreadsheets, word processing and contact management software to record and present

financial data and a tour itinerary.

It is expected that there will be several opportunities to explore the role of merchandising on

contemporary tours and that this will be embedded in the learner responses to Outcomes 1

and 2.

The outcomes of this unit are aligned to selected parts of the NOS for Music Business,

specifically:

CCSTP29 Arrange, manage and receive tours

CCSRCS8 Organise promotional events for a Music Business Collecting Society

CCSMP37 Organise business travel and accommodation within a music publishing

organisation

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 7

Higher National Unit Support Notes (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Guidance on approaches to delivery of this unit

Tutors should provide the learner with a broad knowledge of the roles and duties of a tour

manager. It is recommended that learners should be encouraged to attend and participate in

live music events where possible. If the Music Business: Live Music Industry (SCQF level 7)

unit is also being delivered it would be advised to deliver Music Business: Tour Management

(SCQF level 7) after learners have begun or completed the Music Business: Live Music

Industry (SCQF level 7) unit.

Outcome 1

The processes behind organising and managing a tour should be explained and case studies

used where appropriate. Learners should understand how accommodation, travel, fees,

performance royalties (PRS and contemporary platforms like Kobalt) crew changes, per diem

and equipment hire can affect tour budgets and how they must be taken into consideration

when creating an itinerary.

There should also be emphasis on the legal/contractual responsibilities that are necessary

for a tour such as venue booking contracts, agency contracts and contracts between band

members and tour manager. Administration of registering live performances for rights holders

should be covered.

Learners should know who the key stakeholders are on a tour; artists, crew, promoters,

venue, booking agents and managers should be considered. It is essential for the learner to

understand communication between stakeholders is and how the tour manager should

endeavour to facilitate communication between them.

Suitable tasks could be looking at sources for legal information and contracts, exploring case

studies of actual touring arrangements, guest speakers involved in tour management or

musicians that tour regularly, group exercises to explore skills and qualities.

Outcome 2

This outcome should encourage learners to consider the financial implications of a tour and

to comprehend how important it is to create an itinerary that plans all aspects including

contingency procedures effectively. Learners will be required to use spreadsheet, word

processing and contact database applications to record and present financial data and a tour

itinerary.

Existing tour itineraries could be used as case studies and as teaching materials. It would be

expected that there will be some tutorial sessions in using the necessary software required

as part of delivery. Research could be conducted into organisations that book

accommodation for musicians and use of map resources to plan routes.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 8

Higher National Unit Support Notes (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Outcome 3

The learner should understand the importance of decision making. A rigorous tour can

present the tour manager with numerous difficult situations that require resolutions. These

issues can have an impact on the tour, its budget, itinerary and ultimately its success. It is

also important to understand what problematic issues can occur on a tour and how they can

be remedied. Case studies could be used to enhance the learner's understanding of different

challenging situations. It is important that solution focussed approaches to problem solving

are examined.

Guidance on approaches to assessment of this unit

Evidence can be generated using different types of assessment. The following are

suggestions only. There may be other methods that would be more suitable to learners.

Centres are reminded that prior verification of centre-devised assessments would help to

ensure that the national standard is being met. A range of assessment methods helps the

learner to develop different skills that should be transferable to work or further and higher

education.

This unit has been developed as an optional unit in the HN Music Business, and as such, it

may contribute material that may be useful for the graded unit for the award. While all the

units in the group award can be assessed individually, it is anticipated that some integration

will occur between units.

The assessments for this unit are:

Outcome 1 — Written and/or oral evidence

Outcome 2 — Product evidence

Outcome 3 — Written and/or oral evidence

Outcome 1

The assessment for this outcome could take the form of a written report or presentation

generated under open-book conditions that demonstrate the knowledge and/or skills as

detailed in the evidence requirements. It is expected that this outcome will be assessed

separately from Outcomes 2 and 3.

Outcome 2

The learner will prepare a budget using a spreadsheet and calculate the daily float/tour funds

for each day of the tour. The learner should be provided with a brief to ensure that their tour

budget and itinerary will be sufficient to meet all evidence requirements. It may be possible

that learners are involved in an actual (as opposed to simulated) tour — in this case the

tutor/assessor will be responsible for ensuring that this is a sufficient brief to meet all

evidence requirements.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 9

Higher National Unit Support Notes (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

The learner must also create a tour itinerary for a minimum of five dates that should include:

 Five tour dates

 Five locations

 Five venues

 Stakeholder contacts

 Details — arrival, load in, sound check and performance times

 Press commitments

 Accommodation

 Day by day schedule

Outcome 3

The learner must provide and evaluate responses to potential issues that can arise on a tour.

They will be provided with a brief that specifies the scenarios that they will consider.

For each the learner will provide three responses and evaluate them to select an appropriate

course of action:

 Financial challenges which could include — low ticket sales, unexpected travel costs

and unexpected equipment hire.

 Logistical/itinerary challenges which could include — transportation problems,

accommodation problems and technical problems at the venue.

 Personnel challenges which could include — unwell crew members, disputes between

band members and time management concerns.

A recommended approach could be to assess Outcome 1 separately to prepare the learner

for Outcomes 2 and 3. The holistic approach could be taken for Outcomes 2 and 3 where a

brief is given for a touring scenario in Outcome 2. Outcome 2 product evidence could provide

background material for the Outcome 3 evaluation and problem solving assessment.

A simulated exercise is acceptable although actual, real-life touring projects in which learners

are involved should be encouraged.

Opportunities for e-assessment

E-assessment may be appropriate for some assessments in this unit. By e-assessment we

mean assessment which is supported by Information and Communication Technology (ICT),

such as e-testing or the use of e-portfolios or social software. Centres which wish to use

e-assessment must ensure that the national standard is applied to all learner evidence and

that conditions of assessment as specified in the evidence requirements are met, regardless

of the mode of gathering evidence. The most up-to-date guidance on the use of

e-assessment to support SQA’s qualifications is available at

www.sqa.org.uk/e-assessment.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 10

Higher National Unit Support Notes (cont)

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

Opportunities for developing Core and other essential skills

There are opportunities to develop aspects of the Core Skill of Numeracy in this unit,

although there is no automatic certification of Core Skills or Core Skills components.

Other essential skills such as enterprise and entrepreneurship may be developed naturally

through the learning, teaching and assessment of this unit.

This Unit has the Critical Thinking and Planning and Organising components of Problem

Solving embedded in it. This means that when learners achieve the Unit, their Core Skills

profile will also be updated to show they have achieved Critical Thinking at SCQF level 5 and

Planning and Organising at SCQF level 5.

J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 11

History of changes to unit

Version

Description of change

Date

Core Skills Components Critical Thinking and Planning and

Organising at SCQF level 5 embedded.

31/08/18

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J0M6 34, Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7) 12

General information for learners

Unit title: Music Business: Tour Management (SCQF level 7)

This section will help you decide whether this is the unit for you by explaining what the unit is

about, what you should know or be able to do before you start, what you will need to do

during the unit and opportunities for further learning and employment.

This unit is designed to give you an understanding of how a tour manager operates and

enable you to gain experience in applying organisational skills to tour management. It

examines the live music industry, the roles of the personnel who operate within it and the

related touring financial considerations.

It also focuses on the decision making process and addresses issues that may be

encountered when managing a tour.

There are three outcomes to this unit.

Outcome 1 — you will provide written and/or oral evidence that explains the processes and

personnel behind organising and managing a tour.

Outcome 2 — you will provide a tour budget as a spreadsheet and an itinerary for a tour.

Outcome 3 — you will provide and evaluate responses to potential issues that may arise on

tour.

Outcome 1

You will demonstrate an understanding of the role of a tour manager and detail what logistics

need to be considered when organising a tour. You will also explain what must be budgeted

for on a tour.

Outcome 2

You will prepare a tour budget using a spreadsheet and calculate the running total for the

tour float/funds to demonstrate you understand the importance of creating a financial

forecast.

You will also create a tour itinerary for a minimum of five dates.

Outcome 3

You will provide and evaluate responses to potential problems that can arise on a tour. You

will discuss how different issues can impact on a tour and evaluate possible responses to

decide on an appropriate course of action.

There are opportunities for you to develop aspects of the Core Skill of Numeracy during this

unit, although there is no automatic certification of Core Skills or Core Skills components.

This Unit has the Critical Thinking and Planning and Organising components of Problem

Solving embedded in it. This means that when you achieve the Unit, your Core Skills profile

will also be updated to show you have achieved Critical Thinking at SCQF level 5 and

Planning and Organising at SCQF level 5.