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Roadie

Roadie Image

A roadie helps musicians while they are on tour by setting up and dismantling equipment, loading the van and perhaps driving it from gig to gig. Other names for a roadie include back stage crew or road crew.

The Work

You could be:

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates vary, depending on:

An unskilled roadie might start off on or around £8.00 an hour, rising with experience to around £15 an hour. A roadie with specialist technical skills in lighting and audio might earn up to around £30 an hour. However some jobs are on a 'low pay/no pay' basis, with all expenses and any profits shared.

Conditions

Workforce Employment Status

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Getting In

Jobs are with individual bands, or with agencies or venues. Look for vacancies in music magazines, music shops or on the internet.

Workforce Education Levels (UK)

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Job Outlook Scotland

Employment

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Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland
2022
2985
1.4 %
FALL
2027
2944
  United Kingdom
2022
43380
1.4 %
RISE
2027
44007

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What Does it Take?

You should have:

You need:

Training

It is useful and sometimes necessary to get training in specialist skills such as sound production, audio console work, rigging or pyrotechnics (fireworks). You can get details of courses from the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) website.

Getting On

More Information

The Creative and Cultural Skills website has a careers section called Creative Choices which covers careers information, jobs and opportunities in music, including touring stage crew.

Video

Courtesy of Roadie Free Radio

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.

Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT)
Tel: 07760 549476
E-mail: admin@abtt.org.uk
Website: http://www.abtt.org.uk/
Twitter: @theabtt

BPI - The British Phonographic Industry
Tel: 020 7803 1300
E-mail: general@bpi.co.uk
Website: http://www.bpi.co.uk
Twitter: @bpi_music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebpi

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