Rock the Schools 2011

The 2011 Rock the Schools Tour provides up and coming bands with the platform to showcase their music to over 500 screaming kids a day. Commencing in May in Sydney and ending in Western Australia in August, the tour covers more than 14,000 kilometers of ground and impacts over 50,000 students in 70 different high schools. The tour is seeking three bands, each of which will have a dedicated tour leg of approximately four to five weeks./n/nThe 2011 Rock the Schools Tour provides up and coming bands with the platform to showcase their music to over 500 screaming kids a day. Commencing in May in Sydney and ending in Western Australia in August, the tour covers more than 14,000 kilometers of ground and impacts over 50,000 students in 70 different high schools. The tour is seeking three bands, each of which will have a dedicated tour leg of approximately four to five weeks. The band's performance at each school in its leg needs to be at least 20 to 25 minutes, but can extend to up to 40 minutes.

The tour has been sponsored by the likes of Guitar Hero, Visa and the National Drugs Campaign, which provide the concerts completely free of cost to schools and students. All bands must be willing to work with the corporate partners in terms of promotions and extra gigs.

Over the past five years the lineup has included Operator Please, Van She, Cassette Kids, Amy Meredith, Dash and Will and Oh Mercy. Bands play five days a week, will be paid a nominal fee for the tour (determined on a per band basis) and are free to play other paid gigs on the weekends while they are on tour.

All bands are provided with accommodation, a tour van (including petrol costs), breakfast and lunch, but are required to provide their own backline and transport it to and from their tour legs. Bands will be filmed each day and the tour will make a daily video to be placed on the Rock the Schools website. The band will be required to tweet at least twice per day, go online twice per week to answer student questions in the comments section, make on-stage announcements to thank and acknowledge the list of sponsors and media partners for their support (including on-stage prize pack giveaways) and run a 20 to 30 minute workshop with students at each performance site. The workshop will be scheduled for at least half an hour after the band has performed, and will cover their music career path, tips on song writing and the industry in general and a Q&A session. All band members will be required to attend and will receive training to facilitate these workshops. All bands also need to supply a clean police check and have their own public liability insurance.

The tour also allows the bands to work with our media partners and brands to further their reach and engage with their new fan base. With close to $1.5 million in media coverage in 2008, this is a great way for bands to be heard and extend their reach.



Over the past five years the lineup has included Operator Please, Van She, Cassette Kids, Amy Meredith, Dash and Will and Oh Mercy. The tour has been sponsored by the likes of Guitar Hero, Visa and the National Drugs Campaign, which provide the concerts completely free of cost to schools and students. Bands play five days a week, will be paid a nominal fee for the tour (determined on a per band basis) and are free to play other paid gigs on the weekends while they are on tour.



All bands are provided with accommodation, a tour van (including petrol costs), breakfast and lunch, but are required to provide their own backline and transport it to and from their tour legs. Bands will be filmed each day and the tour will make a daily video to be placed on the Rock the Schools website. The band will be required to tweet at least twice per day, go online twice per week to answer student questions in the comments section, make on-stage announcements to thank and acknowledge the list of sponsors and media partners for their support (including on-stage prize pack giveaways) and run a 20 to 30 minute workshop with students at each performance site. The workshop will be scheduled for at least half an hour after the band has performed, and will cover their music career path, tips on song writing and the industry in general and a Q&A session. All band members will be required to attend and will receive training to facilitate these workshops. All bands also need to supply a clean police check and have their own public liability insurance.



Requirements in brief:

• Bands must be over 18 years old (no solo artists)


• Performance and stage presence must be HIGH ENERGY


• Bands must be looking to break in 2011 and have either an EP/Album or single coming out while they are on the tour


• Bands must be signed to management


• Record label and management must be prepared to pay for associated costs with being on the tour (outlined below)


• Bands must be able to provide a press shot in high res to be used in all RTS marketing


• Bands must be able to provide a small bio for use in RTS marketing


• Bands must be willing to promote tour sponsors and be available for promo gigs at no extra cost outside the tour


• Bands must have played live shows before


• Bands must have some form of media training and be happy to talk to the media about the tour


• Bands must be able to talk to kids and be able to hold a Band Q & A workshop with up to 60 kids


• Bands must have clean police records and obtain a blue card to be able to enter school grounds


• Bands must be well behaved on tour - no drugs or inappropriate behavior around students

The band’s record label and management are responsible for the following costs while the band is on the Rock the Schools tour:

• Cost of providing a per diem for each band member


• Cost of providing the bands backline requirements for the tour. A drum mat must be supplied by the band. If the drummer would like a riser they must supply it and check on the weight and dimensions with RTS


• Freight costs to transport bands backline to and from the tour leg


• Travel to and from their tour leg whether it be flights or vehicle hire


• Insurance for the bands property and equipment


• Public liability for each band member