How to Partner with CME Artist Services: Tour Exchanges and Festivals

NOTE: We have a number of superb opportunities to tour in the UK in exchange for gigs in the USA but we need to find a partner organisation in the USA that can process P2 visas. If you are, or know of, such an agency please get in touch with us now at workpermits@cmeas.com. We want to talk to you!

1. Tour Exchanges

Think of this as couch surfing for bands.

If you are a hard working band then you will have a gig circuit, your own gear and transport. And a floor on which to crash. You will also be 'grass is greener' to 100's if not 1000's of acts who would love to play in your country (or part of your country).

This is how we started. Our band handed over some of our bookings once a year to other bands in the spirit of collaboration. Acts would stay at our places, be driven in our minibus, use our gear and play in our venues. Those bands then offered their own circuit in return, friendships blossomed, gig bases expanded and great memories and adventure flourished.

If you are interested in pursuing this idea further we need to know:

   1. Who you are, where you live, and at least one online link to your music
   2. Your proposal (what you are offering and what you want in return and where)
   3. Approximate dates of your offer and date you want the return offer

Then email us this information at info@cmeas.com putting 'partnership proposal' in the subject line.

We will then review your music and get back in touch with you if your music passes our peer review and your proposal appears serious and well thought through. If you need more information just ask on the same email.

If we both decide to go ahead we will promote your tour on our website and also contact our artist roster who will then apply with the understanding that if you select them they have to offer you a similar tour, festival, workshop, residency etc on their own gig base and on terms you both agree to. It's really that simple.

2. Festivals

Recently, CME Artist Services has become involved in not just promoting and booking the music for several grassroots festivals but also coordinating them too. Our first success was the Lancaster Music Festival now in its second year.

Subsequently, we're now involved with the Glasgow Live Music Festival, a possible citywide festival in Valencia, Spain and most recently the exciting possibility of helping to coordinate a festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The key to the success of these festivals rests on several simple premises: identify a city or district anywhere in the world with a fairly high concentration of music venues covering several genres, use these existing venues, do not restrict yourself to genres, and ask venues and promoters what they would like to do. I.e. you let folks do what they want to do but offer them the opportunity of being part of something big that benefits all.

Where CME Artist Services comes into this is to help promote to the out of town acts that would be included in the festival lineup along with local acts. We can also act as consultants for planning of the festival.

If you are a venue, promoter or band interested in discussing a music festival in your location please go to contact page and put 'Festival' in the subject line and then tell us a little about your music scene and we will follow up with you post haste - most probably in person as we enjoy any excuse to travel where music is involved!