By Sundus Abdi, The Guardian | A new UK scheme is encouraging venues to provide accommodation for touring acts. But what if someone hurls a TV through a window? Touring has become increasingly financially precarious for grassroots artists, pinched by issues including the cost of living crisis and increasing fuel costs. But a growing number of UK music venues are attempting a simple but potentially transformative fix: giving bands somewhere to sleep.
This month, the Music Venue Trust charity announced a new wave of funding initiatives to rebuild infrastructure for touring musicians, including schemes focused on artist accommodation: unused spaces in venues could be converted into rooms for touring musicians, in an effort to cut costs and make smaller tours more viable. “Accommodation costs are limiting touring options and venues, especially in rural locations where there may not be lots of accommodation choices,” says Mark Davyd, the charity’s chief executive.
One of the first venues involved is Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich: the site is currently being refreshed throughout, with new shower facilities and triple-stack bunk beds installed for touring artists. Owner Ben Street says the project emerged from conversations with musicians who were struggling to make the numbers work. “There’s so many times that we’d have international artists discussing the fee and trying to get over here, and one of the big issues was they were trying to cover the cost of accommodation,” he says. With a tour party of six or seven, “the cost of that was just really difficult”. Rather than charging separately for rooms, Street says accommodation costs are currently being folded into performance deals: artists may accept a slightly lower guaranteed fee in exchange for staying at the venue, but avoid paying far higher hotel costs elsewhere in the city.
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Go here to read more of this innovative approach to help touring bands:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/19/bands-sleeping-at-venues-to-make-touring-work
Barb Dye: When I was touring with The GrandMothers, a few places either offered a place to stay or paid for motel rooms. Much needed rest & showers that a 35′ motor home did not provide (ask me about touring with a motor home). The place in Austin, TX actually put us up in the venue’s owner’s country home (he had another home near the city venue) for 3 nights. We not only had rooms to sleep in, bathrooms & showers, but access to a washing machine & dryer! Also our own kitchen for meals. A similar accommodation was offered in Steamboat Springs.
The guy in Pittsburgh let me sleep in the green room but had made arrangements with the city for the motor home to park outside with electric connection.
One guy in Fresno offered his home which was totally fenced in so the motor home was safe. A couple of the guys stayed in the MH; I slept on an air mattress in the living room, and the rest of the guys stayed in spare bedrooms in the house. A guy in Lincoln, NE let us park outside his home — on a slope — but we were able to plug the MH in so it kept the fridge running. (Unfortunately, the guy was a hoarder and the guys felt “creepy” while staying there!)
The venue owner in Albuquerque had made arrangements for us to stay with a friend who owned a mansion outside Santa Fe! The guys each had their own rooms (6), and I got to stay in the guest house which had heated floors! The home’s owner provided us with meals as well as the chance to shower and wash clothes.
The Music Box in Omaha, NE was totally built for traveling bands. The venue offered a parking lot with a “dump” for the MH’s bathroom, electrical hook-ups, and a couple of “sleep rooms” inside the venue. He also fed us both dinner and breakfast from the restaurant!
We took very good care of every B&B to make sure the guys were welcomed back if they ever got the chance to return! ~ Barb
Photo: The GrandMothers and the “tour bus” | By Sandro Oliva
