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Understanding tour P&L projection

The difference between a "great opportunity" and "actually makes money" is math. Here's how Mintoor does it.

When you'd use this​

The Router shows you a projected net of $4,200 for a 10-stop tour. You want to understand what went into that number, and how reliable it is.

Per-stop revenue​

For each stop, Mintoor projects revenue using:

  • Guarantee: midpoint of what the venue typically pays for your tier (or your minimum guarantee floor, whichever is higher)
  • Door-deal backend: if the venue's a door-deal room, expected attendance × ticket price × your percentage
  • Merch: your historical merch-per-head × expected attendance (optional; off by default)

Revenue is projected, not guaranteed. Actuals come from the venue's reply + settlement.

Per-leg costs​

For each drive leg:

  • Fuel: distance in miles × (your MPG) × prevailing fuel price (national avg + state offset)
  • Lodging: rooms × nights × your lodging cap. "Rooms" = crew size / 2 rounded up.
  • Per diem: people × days × your per-diem rate (default $40)

Costs are capped at your budget ceilings — if lodging would exceed your cap, Mintoor falls back to cheaper options in its calculation.

Tour-total P&L​

  • Gross revenue = sum of per-stop revenue
  • Total costs = sum of per-leg costs
  • Projected net = gross − costs

On a good indie tour, projected net hits $200–$800 per tour day. Solo acts often crack $500/day; full bands with crew typically $200–$400/day because per-diem + room costs scale.

Sources of accuracy — or inaccuracy​

Most accurate: fuel calculation (distance is precise, MPG is yours, prices are current).

Moderate accuracy: lodging (depends on room availability in-market), per-diem (depends on your actual eating habits on tour).

Least accurate: revenue projections for unclaimed venues (we only have public data; your draw in a specific market can vary ±40% from our estimate).

How to improve accuracy​

  1. Log actuals after each stop. See Settlement and post-show actuals. Over time, Mintoor learns your real draw per market.
  2. Flag venues with non-standard deals. If a venue pays you door + tips and Mintoor assumed guarantee, correct it once and the pattern persists.
  3. Update your vehicle MPG after a major change (new rental, towing a trailer, etc.).

Projected vs. actual reporting​

After the tour:

  • Projected vs. actual chart — see where Mintoor was close and where it was off.
  • Variance drill-down — per-stop, click into a stop to see why actual differed from projection.

This data feeds back into your profile. Next tour's projections get more accurate.

Still stuck?​

  • Numbers look wildly wrong. Check your profile — bad draw estimate or wrong MPG propagates everywhere.
  • Where's tax? Tax is post-P&L. Mintoor projects pre-tax net. See Exporting data for your accountant.