MusicNSW Drives Regional Touring Expansion

MusicNSW has announced the launch of their innovative new tour-planning platform, The Regional Touring Network (RTN). The RTN is a powerful free map-based tool which makes organising your tour as easy as click, drag and drop.

The centrepiece of the tool is its easy-to-use mapping and route-building interface, but users can also access detailed venue information, including contact and booking details, capacity and accessibility info, and technical specifications – everything needed to take the stress and guesswork out of touring regional locations for the first time.

And this is just the beginning! The RTN is built to grow – venues who are not yet featured are encouraged to apply to be added to the network. Venues can apply directly via the site or here. The RTN is a direct outcome of MusicNSW’s Regional Music Officer program, which employed music champions living and working in regional NSW to build relationships and capacity within their local industries. The RTN is built on the foundation of their local knowledge.

Minister for the Arts, Ben Franklin said, “We are delighted to fund such a practical, interactive and helpful platform like the Regional Touring Network. We want people to go out, explore and enjoy all the incredible artists and venues across regional New South Wales. This intuitive platform with valuable local knowledge makes planning a road trip and a weekend away so much easier. Funding of the Regional Touring Network is part of the New South Wales Government’s commitment to making the Arts more accessible for all.”

By offering standardised venue information and intuitive planning functionality, the RTN removes roadblocks that have traditionally been associated with regional tour planning. It provides both regional and metro-based artists with new opportunities for audience development, artistic growth and live experience, while nourishing the state’s regional music ecosystem as it builds back from fire, floods and a gruelling pandemic. With the help of the RTN, it will build back stronger than ever.