How to Ask for More: Negotiation Tactics for Touring Professionals
- Concert Industry
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 25
TL;DR: In the concert touring world, your pay isn’t fixed—it lives inside a range. Learn how to confidently negotiate within that window, and finally get paid what you’re worth.
Why This Matters
Whether you're a tour manager, lighting tech, audio engineer, or merch lead, you’ve probably been offered a gig that didn’t feel quite right—but you said yes anyway.
Most touring jobs are booked casually—usually a quick call or text. The conversation goes something like:
“We’ve got a two-month run. It’s $350/day. Cool?”
And most people either say yes… or ask the one question they’ve been taught to ask:
“Any wiggle room on that?”
And that’s where the negotiation ends.
But here’s the truth: most offers include room for movement. Learning how to negotiate—confidently and respectfully—can immediately raise your income, improve your reputation, and help shift the entire culture around pay in live events.
1. Shift the Mindset: Negotiation Isn’t Greed—It’s Alignment
Negotiation isn’t about being difficult—it’s about creating alignment between the budget and the value you’re bringing.
You’re not begging. You’re not being a diva.You’re asking for a rate that makes the work sustainable.
“I used to say yes to every offer without question. Once I started asking for $50–$100 more, I realized most people were totally fine with it—they just weren’t going to offer unless I asked.”— FOH Engineer, Arena Tour
2. Understand the Real Pay Range:
The $2,000 Industry Spread vs. Your $250 Negotiation Window
The Gig Pay Guide reflects the real-world spread of crew pay across the entire industry—often $2,000 or more per week from the bottom to the top, depending on venue size.
But here’s the key:
✅ Each budget works within its own $500 internal pay range
✅ The hiring manager usually narrows that down to a $250 decision window
✅ Where you land depends on your experience, confidence, and ability to negotiate for that extra money.
“We budgeted $700–$900 for that role depending on who we got. The person we hired just took the lower offer with no hesitation—we were fully prepared to go up.”— Anonymous Manager, Theater Run
3. Come Prepared: Know What You’re Worth
Before you respond to any offer, do this:
Check the Gig Pay Guide or talk to peers
Reflect on what you made on similar tours
Consider the actual workload, not just the title
Get clear on your personal baseline—what you’re willing to say yes to
Clarity leads to confidence. Confidence leads to better pay.
4. Use Calm, Professional Language When You Ask
Here are a few go-to phrases that keep it easy and professional:
“Thanks for the offer—I’d love to do this gig. Based on the scope and my experience, I’d be comfortable at $____. Is there flexibility there?”
“For similar runs, I’ve earned closer to $____. Would that be workable for this budget?”
“I want to make this work—are we locked into that rate, or is there room to adjust slightly?”
5. Don’t Forget to Negotiate for Advance Time
Every tour starts before the first show day—and your work likely does too.
Even if you're not the TM or PM, you're probably:
Building a show file
Making an input list
Joining a planning call
Recommending gear
That’s time and value, and it can be negotiated.
Try saying:
“There will likely be some light advance work—building the show file, a few calls, gear list input. Would it make sense to add 1 or 2 preproduction days to the agreement to account for that time?”
You’re not charging full day rates for emails—but you’re setting fair expectations and showing you understand the scope.
If they agree? Overdeliver early. Be proactive. Reinforce that they made the right choice in hiring you.
6. If You Missed the Moment, You Can Still Circle Back
If you already said yes to a rate—and realize later it doesn’t match the workload—it’s still okay to speak up.
Here’s how:
“Hey, I’ve been reviewing the scope, and I wanted to check—would it be possible to revisit the rate or add a preproduction day? I didn’t bring it up earlier, but I’m realizing this role might require a bit more time than we originally discussed.”
You won’t always get a yes, but you’ll gain respect for handling it like a pro.
7. Know When to Walk Away (Without Burning a Bridge)
Some offers just aren’t worth it. And that’s okay.
If the rate isn’t aligned, say so—without drama:
“Thanks so much for thinking of me. At that rate, it’s not the right fit for me this time around, but I really appreciate the offer—please keep me in mind for future runs.”
8. Final Thought: You’re Not Just Negotiating for You
There’s a silent majority of crew members who know they’re underpaid—but stay quiet out of fear.
When you speak up:
You normalize negotiation
You encourage others to value their time
You push the industry toward greater fairness
Asking for more doesn’t make you a problem. It makes you a professional.
Gig Pay Guide can be found here: