Tour booking and production in Japan
KAALA is based in Japan and works with international artists who want to tour here. We help develop the tour, book and negotiate shows, plan routing and production, organize travel, and, if you want it, put a tour manager on the road with you. We work in English and Japanese, so venues and suppliers deal with one bilingual point of contact.
Our fees pay for planning and operational work. They are separate from what the artist earns for performing, and separate from the third-party costs of the tour itself. This page explains each one.
What KAALA handles
Basic tour development
Drawing on our own knowledge and experience, we review your music, live footage, and audience, then recommend where and how to tour: which cities, which kinds of venues, how many shows, and what a realistic budget looks like. No venues are contacted at this stage.
Booking and production
We research and approach venues, negotiate show terms, build the route, and coordinate the production advance, including backline. Venue communication is handled in Japanese and reported back to you in English, and we coordinate basic promotion with venues and event organizers.
Travel and logistics
We plan accommodation and transport between cities and bring every show, journey, and hotel into one consolidated tour itinerary.
Optional on-the-ground management
A KAALA tour manager can travel with you to handle venue liaison, soundcheck and production coordination, show settlement, merchandise support, interpretation, and the practical problems that come up on the road.
Fees at a glance
- Basic tour development
- US$750, credited toward a full booking package
- Booking and production, up to four shows
- From US$4,000 for a solo artist; from US$5,000 for a duo or trio
- Larger groups and longer tours
- Custom quote
- On-the-ground tour management
- US$720 per tour day, plus the tour manager's accommodation, transport, and meals
- Artist performance fees
- Negotiated separately for the artist. Not part of KAALA's fees.
- Third-party tour expenses
- Billed separately or paid directly by the artist
Start with basic tour development
Every project starts with a basic tour-development engagement. The fee is US$750.
This is an assessment based on KAALA's own knowledge and experience. We do not contact venues, hold dates, or confirm or book shows at this stage. That work is part of the booking-and-production package.
We review your music, live footage, audience, and performance history, and give you:
• An assessment of whether a solo, trio, or full-band format is viable
• Recommended cities, route, venue types, and tour length
• A preliminary budget
• An initial booking strategy
• The production, immigration, tax, and backline questions that need answers before anything is confirmed
If you go ahead with a full booking package, the US$750 is credited toward the booking-and-production fee.
Booking and production
For up to four shows, booking and production starts from US$4,000 for a solo artist and from US$5,000 for a duo or trio. Larger groups and tours of more than four shows are quoted individually.
The package can include:
• Venue research and outreach
• Booking negotiations
• Routing
• Show confirmation and contracting coordination
• Production advance
• Backline coordination
• Accommodation and transport planning
• One consolidated tour itinerary
• Bilingual communication with venues
• Basic promotional coordination
"From" pricing reflects the scope above. Unusual routing, complicated production, additional shows, specialist equipment, or substantial promotional work may require a larger quote.
On-the-ground tour management
US$720 per tour day, plus the tour manager's accommodation, transport, and meals.
Tour management is optional. A KAALA tour manager travels with the touring party, and duties can include:
• Airport and station coordination
• Movement between hotels, venues, and transport
• Venue liaison
• Soundcheck and production coordination
• Show settlement
• Merchandise support
• Interpretation
• Restaurant recommendations and practical local guidance
• Real-time problem solving
Artist fees and show economics
KAALA negotiates the artist's performance compensation separately from its own service fees. Paying KAALA's fees does not buy a performance fee, a particular guarantee, or a profitable show.
Where the artist's profile, audience, venue, and event economics support it, KAALA can pursue a target guarantee of approximately US$1,000 per performance. This is a negotiation target, not a guaranteed result. Some first-time Japan tours may require a mixture of guarantees, door arrangements, private events, cultural engagements, or other deal structures. All proposed show terms are presented to the artist for approval before confirmation.
What is billed separately
KAALA's fees cover KAALA's work. The following are normally billed separately or paid directly by the artist:
• International airfare
• Hotels and other accommodation
• Trains and local transportation
• Meals and per diems
• Venue hire or ticket-quota exposure (ノルマ, noruma), where applicable
• Backline and specialist equipment
• Advertising and media spend
• Insurance
• Immigration and legal services
• Tax and accounting services
• Bank and payment-processing charges
• Other third-party supplier costs
These costs should appear transparently in the project budget before you commit, so you can see the full cost of the tour and not only our fees.
Immigration and tax
Immigration, contracting, and Japanese tax treatment depend on the artist's nationality, activities, compensation, tour structure, venues, and contracting parties. KAALA coordinates the operational information required for planning, but immigration and tax advice must be confirmed with qualified professionals before contracts and travel are finalized.
KAALA can coordinate schedules, contracts, venue information, and supporting documents with a qualified immigration professional when immigration assistance is required. KAALA does not provide legal or tax advice.
What we need from you
To assess a Japan tour, please send:
• Recordings
• Strong live-performance video
• Artist biography
• Press coverage
• Performance history
• Recent ticket-sales or audience information
• Preferred dates
• Preferred format and touring party
• Technical rider
• A realistic overall budget
If some of this does not exist yet, send what you have.
Request a Japan tour consultation
Tell us about the artist, the format, and the dates you have in mind. The first conversation is about whether a Japan tour makes sense now and what it would take.