Wealth Club

Make Your Gig Transport Simple 

No matter your choice of medium, bringing your art on the road is key to your success. Whether you’re a musician, actor, or travelling artist, you’ll need to consider packing up as safely and efficiently as possible before a tour.

We’ve put together a quick guide to getting the show on the road no matter what your gig entails. These simple tips should be beneficial to the smallest performance or the largest showcase.

Five Easy Ways To Get To Your Next Gig In Style

1. Invest in a trailer

A trailer can be affixed to your current vehicle to hold your equipment before your next gig. Trailer storage can be locked up during the show and accessible to your group when they need a tune-up. Many people also use their trailer as a home when they’re always travelling and need a place to sleep.

2. Research what your venue can offer you 

Artists, especially musicians, need their signature equipment to play. However, solo acts such as DJs can utilize resources from venues without the need to travel with heavy luggage. If your venue is willing to rent out or provide sound equipment, you can get away with one bag packing with your vital necessities.

3. Travel in a caravan

Major events require many people for the best performance that will draw a crowd. Music festival gigs usually need roadies, merchandise sellers, and the act themselves. Make a vacation out of your job by travelling with friends in different vehicles. This can turn into a road trip for the ages and you’re sure to have help when you reach your destination.

Consider offering your help VIP deals so they can attend the show. Free merch and pay is always welcome to assist in a favor. Be sure to help compensate for gas and lodging if you’re going on a long tour.

4. Have a fail-proof plan with far away friends

If you travel to gigs for work, you’re sure to make a lot of friends in many different places. Many of these may also be people who are experienced with your type of craft. If you’re stressing about lugging all your gear to the next show, give a far away friend a ring and see if they have what you need and what’s in the best condition for a live performance.

If you have a plethora of instruments, consider lending back-ups to friends in places you regularly tour in order to pick them up when you’re in town. You can even store them in their garage or any storage space so you know your tunes will be there when you need them.

5. Consider a professional team

Roadies and assistants are always up for hire for large and small gigs. Look to promotional teams and professionals in the area of your gig who are looking for jobs around the time of your performance. Sound technicians and experts should be at hand backstage in case anything goes wrong.

Keep Your Gigs Easy and Breezy!

Being a travelling performer is more than just playing a gig. You’ll want to be prepared and ready for the show without the added stress of last minute details and frantically trying to find a solution. 

What makes a great gig is the confidence and preparation of the performers involved, as well as their team. Holding gigs is a lot different than having a permanent residence on stage. Each venue is different but your live performances are critical for success so you can continue living your dream.

Get The Show On The Road With Gig Transport!

Access to this page has been denied because we believe you are using automation tools to browse the website.

This may happen as a result of the following:

• Javascript is disabled or blocked by an extension (ad blockers for example)
• Your browser does not support cookies

Please make sure that Javascript and cookies are enabled on your browser and that you are not blocking them from loading.

Reference ID: #6956fe70-6b52-11e9-828d-95dcc8b4ca0f

Click to expand

UP NEXT

FedEx's retreat from handling packages for Amazon signals that the lines are being drawn in the battle over surging e-commerce shipments.

The end of two delivery contracts with Amazon means FedEx will have to make up for the lost sales by extending a push to serve other customers such as Walmart Inc. Amazon will have to rely more on United Parcel Service Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service as it seeks to fulfill a pledge for next-day delivery to top customers -- and build out its own shipping network.

The decision “represents the continued ‘drawing of a line’ in the sand between FedEx and arrangements/partnerships that do not fit its network,” Ben Hartford, an analyst with Robert W. Baird, said in a note to clients Wednesday. “FedEx will work to optimize and protect its network, while strengthening relationships with more strategically important customers.”

The common features for all involved: an ever-increasing flood of packages combined with greater pressure on profits. Online shopping accounts for only about 12% of retail sales, and shipments are expected to double in five years. But dropping off packages at homes tends to be less lucrative than at businesses, and Amazon is determined to drive the price lower while speeding delivery times.

Without details on how much Amazon is paying per package, it’s unclear who’s positioned for the biggest gains in the shakeup. If the price is low, UPS’s profit margins would be squeezed even as revenue rises. If the amount is in line with what other big customers pay, then FedEx walked away from profitable business that it will have to recoup elsewhere.

FedEx fell less than 1% to $160.66 at the close in New York. Amazon rose less than 1% to $1,793.40.

Amazon Risk

In a statement, Amazon said it was “constantly innovating to improve the carrier experience and sometimes that means reevaluating our carrier relationships.” It called FedEx “a great partner over the years.”

The loss of a major courier ahead of the peak holiday season increases the risk for Amazon as it promises quicker deliveries, said Marc Wulfraat, a logistics consultant and founder of MWPVL International.

Wulfraat estimates that Amazon will be able to handle about 45% of its own volume this year as it plows investment into sorting hubs, delivery stations and support for contract drivers. Amazon Air will have 70 dedicated aircraft in its network by 2021, the Seattle-based company said in June.

FedEx probably handled about 4% of Amazon’s volume, Wulfraat said, and the courier likely balked at the price the retailer wanted to pay for next-day deliveries. UPS delivers about 17% of Amazon packages while the post office accounts for a third, he said.

“I think Amazon played hardball and didn’t win,” Wulfraat said. “There’s kind of a lose-lose situation happening just in the short term.”

UPS Volume

FedEx announced in June that it wouldn’t renew a U.S. air-shipping deal with Amazon, then said this week that a ground-delivery contract won’t be renewed when it expires at the end of this month. FedEx will still have a contract with Amazon for international deliveries, which in terms of size is “not worth mentioning,” said David Ross, an analyst at Stifel.

UPS -- in the middle of a $20 billion, three-year investment spree to add capacity and boost efficiency -- is poised to pick up the extra volume. The Atlanta-based company already scored a 30% spike in its next-day air business in the second quarter.

A spokesman for UPS declined to comment on specific customers.

UPS hasn’t said how much revenue it generates from Amazon, but if the total were more than 10%, the courier would be obligated to disclose the information in regulatory filings. UPS had revenue of $71.9 billion last year.

FedEx Moves

Amazon made up about 1.3% of FedEx’s sales last year. To scoop up more e-commerce business from other customers, FedEx announced in May that its ground unit would begin seven-day service in January, deliver more packages that had been handed off to the postal service and invest to handle oversized packages.

The Memphis, Tennessee-based company has also signed up more drop-off and pick-up points, including with Dollar General Corp. FedEx is even testing a ground-delivery robot.

Those moves “have us positioned extraordinarily well” to handle demand as it focuses “on the broader e-commerce market,” FedEx said.

The company will likely use the breakup as a selling point to Amazon competitors such as Walmart, Target Corp. and others. Goods sold through Amazon’s website are expected to account for almost 40% of e-commerce sales in the U.S. this year, according to EMarketer Inc.

FedEx will seek to “get Walmart to realize that they’re not working with Walmart’s biggest competitor and to have Walmart make FedEx their primary carrier,” Satish Jindel, founder of SJ Consulting Group, said on Bloomberg Radio.

The Best Investment Writing Volume 3: Aswath Damodaran – The Perils of Investing Idol Worship: The Kraft Heinz Lessons!

Author: Aswath Damodaran holds the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education and is Professor of Finance at New York University Stern School of Business. Professor Damodaran’s contributions to the field of Finance have been recognized many times over. He has been the recipient of Giblin, Glucksman, and Heyman Fellowships, a David Margolis Teaching Excellence Fellowship, and the Richard L. Rosenthal Award for Innovation in Investment Management and Corporate Finance. In addition to myriad publications in academic journals, Professor Damodaran is the author of several highly regarded and widely used academic texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance, and Investment Management. Professor Damodaran currently teaches Corporate Finance and Equity Instruments & Markets. His research interests include Information and Prices, Real Estate, and Valuation.

Run-Time: 15:06

What is this Episode? Last year when we published The Best Investment Writing Volume 2, we offered authors the opportunity to record an audio version of their chapter to be released as a segment of the podcast, and listeners loved it.

This year, we’re bringing you the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3 in podcast format.

You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers all over the world.

Enough from me, let’s let Aswath take over this special episode.

To Read the Original Piece:

Visit Professor Damodaran’s blog, Musings on Markets, and his piece, The Perils of Investing Idol Worship: The Kraft Heinz Lessons! by clicking here

To Listen:

To listen to this episode on iTunes, click here

To listen to this episode on Stitcher, click here

To listen to this episode on Pocket Casts, click here

To listen to this episode on Google Play, click here

To stream this episode, click here

Comments or suggestions? Email us [email protected] or call us to leave a voicemail at 323 834 9159

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email Justin at [email protected]

Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2018 —

Godrej, however, congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for presenting a "grand vision" to build a new India and nearly double economy to a USD 5 trillion giant over the course of his second term in office.

He was quick to add that all is not well in the country and pointed out a slew of concerns on the social front, warning of their impact on growth as well.

"It's not all a rosy picture now. One must not lose sight of the massive impoverishness plaguing our nation which can seriously damage the pace of growth going forward and prevent us from realising our potential," Godrej warned while addressing a gathering to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his alma mater St Xavier's College.

The industrialist further warned that economic growth will be impacted if "rising intolerance, social instability, hate-crimes, violence against women, moral policing, caste and religion based violence and many other sorts of intolerance are rampant across the country," are not contained to ensure social harmony.

He said unemployment is at 6.1 percent, a four-decade high, and needs to be tackled at the earliest.

The "massive" water crisis, growing use of environment-damaging plastics and the crippling medical facilities, courtesy the country's healthcare spend is the lowest among its emerging market peers, are some of the other issues that need to be tackled on a war footing, he said.

Noting that many issues must be fixed at a fundamental level, he warned that without doing so, the country cannot achieve her true growth potential.

The remarks come amid a continuing spate of hate crimes like mob-lynching in the name cow or in the name of religion being reported from many parts of the country, including from a Mumbai suburb where a Muslim cab driver was assaulted recently because of his faith.

Godrej congratulated the prime minister for unveiling a vision to create a new India where "we don't live in fear and suspicion and can trust the political leadership for being accountable".

But he was quick to add that things on the ground are taking time to change when it comes to accountability, but exuded confidence that the many measures initiated will lead to significant changes in the times to come.

Exhorting the students not to shy from leadership, he reminded them that leadership is about telling the truth without worrying whether it is popular or not.

He also urged them to be compassionate and empathetic and at the same time level-headed.

Pushed on the backfoot after the recent electoral reverses, the Centre has whipped out a political ace — extending reservations for the economically weaker sections among the forward castes in all educational institutions (including private ones) and government jobs. The move to expand the quota cap by 10 per cent to include the new lot is aimed at winning over educated Middle India that is unable to secure a decent education or white-collar job, and has, therefore, traditionally been at the forefront of anti-quota agitations. By throwing this lifeline, the BJP may, for the time being, succeed in robbing the ‘jobs debate’ of its sting. The move is also meant to appease the dominant, resentful peasant castes, such as the Jats, Gujjars, Patels and Marathas who have been hit by rural distress but lack the wherewithal to fit in respectably in the industry and services sectors. How this proposed measure is perceived on the ground is anyone’s guess. However, a shift in the political discourse is on the cards.

The initiative is a remarkably ambitious one; it entails a Constitutional amendment to Articles 15 and 16 to include the ‘economically disadvantaged’ as a category entitled to reservations, in addition to ‘socially and educationally backward classes’. Expanding the scope of reservations is not a new idea. An approach to affirmative action that goes beyond caste to include gender, geographical disadvantage and income is, in fact, being implemented in certain institutions. But that entails adopting a weighted average approach — whereas the creation of a distinct category of ‘economically disadvantaged’ upper castes is an altogether different matter. Whether it resonates with the Constitutional theme of negating social discrimination to create equal opportunities for all is a moot issue.

The proposed exercise in inclusion is not backed up by an economic plan. The clamour for quotas stems from the inadequate supply of quality education and jobs. If a white collar government job still commands a premium over other options, it is (besides the caste system itself) because the latter have failed to materialise. The rural economy still supports more than half the population. Job creation in manufacturing has been hit by the lack of a skilled workforce, for which an education system that lacks reach or quality is to blame. The government jobs sector is simply not big enough to pick up the slack; quotas will slice it finer. While promoting reservations in private colleges, an extension of the Right to Education, is indeed a positive move, the key issue here is the quality of instruction imparted and the price charged for it. Government-run institutions, for all their shortcomings, have done better over the years. Despite the challenge of creating a skilled and intelligent population, education spend (Centre and States) as a share of the GDP has actually fallen from 3.1 per cent of the GDP in 2012-13 to 2.7 per cent in 2017-18. The politics of quotas serve to divert attention from this colossal failing.

Shares of Tesla Inc. fell 7% on Friday, as David Einhorn’s hedge fund Greenlight Capital slammed the electric carmaker the day after Tesla CEO Elon Musk mocked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Twitter.

The sell-off started in morning trading the day after Mr. Musk stirred nerves about a settlement of his securities fraud lawsuit by calling the SEC the “Shortseller Enrichment Commission” on Twitter.

His tweet came hours after a federal judge ordered him and the regulator to justify their settlement.

“Just want to (sic) that the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work,” Mr. Musk, a frequent critic of investors betting against the electric car company, said in the tweet. “And the name change is so on point!”

In its quarterly letter, Mr. Greenlight said on Friday its short position on Tesla was its second-biggest winner in the third quarter. The hedge fund said Mr. Musk has been deceptive and the carmaker’s woes resemble those of Lehman Brothers before its collapse.

Tesla shares plunged last week after the SEC accused Mr. Musk, 47, of fraud over “false and misleading” tweets on August 7 that promised to take Tesla private and said funding had been secured.

The lawsuit threatened Tesla and Musk with a long fight that could have undermined the company’s operations and ability to raise capital.

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California.Getty

• Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California is touting her plan to increase teacher salaries, saying the proposal could yield an "incredible return on our investment."
• The plan has garnered some skepticism, but Harris deflected that by pointing to conservative proposals to allocate federal funds to buy guns for teachers.
• "Meanwhile, we have ... a secretary of education who wants to give teachers guns," Harris added. "Teachers don't need guns. They need a raise."
• Harris, a Democratic candidate in the 2020 US presidential election, estimated that increasing teacher salaries would cost $315 billion over the course of 10 years.
• Under the plan, teachers would receive, on average, a $13,500 raise.

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California is touting her plan to increase teachers' salaries, saying the proposal could yield an "incredible return."

"I am talking about an incredible return on our investment," Harris said to CNN host Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. "When we look at the essential functions of government, there are three: public health, public safety, and public education. And we are giving the public education piece a short shrift."

The plan has garnered some skepticism, but Harris deflected that by pointing to other proposals to allocate federal funds to buy guns for teachers.

"Meanwhile, we have ... a secretary of education who wants to give teachers guns," Harris said. "No, you know what, teachers don't need guns. They need a raise."

In a letter in August, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos left it up to local governments to allocate federal grants to purchase guns for teachers: "I have no intention of taking any action concerning the purchase of firearms or firearms training for school staff under the [Elementary and Secondary Education Act]," she wrote in a letter.

Harris, a Democratic candidate in the 2020 US presidential election, announced her proposal on Tuesday. Her campaign heralded it as the biggest potential US investment in teacher salaries and estimated it would cost $315 billion over the course of 10 years.

Read more: Prosecutors left a trail of breadcrumbs about Trump's finances, and House Democrats are now digging deeper

Under the plan, teachers would be receiving an average of a 23% base pay increase, totaling about $13,500.

Critics speculated Harris' plan could add to record-high budget deficits, which hit $234 billion in February. The budget deficit for last year's fiscal year topped at $779 billion, the highest amount in six years. The Congressional Budget Office also estimated the deficit would balloon to around $1 trillion by 2022.

Harris proposed raising the estate tax to fund the program without adding to the deficit.

"Let me tell you what is adding to the budget deficit," Harris said. "This tax bill that they passed, that gives a tax benefit to the top 1% and the biggest corporations in this country. So when those same people start to talk about why we should not invest in our teachers, I actually am not sympathetic to their argument. Because I think their values are misplaced."

"We are not paying our teachers their value," Harris added. "There are two groups of people who are raising our children: parents ... and our teachers. And we've got to recognize the benefit that we receive from their work."

Large groups of teachers have walked out of classrooms to protest their wages as recently as this month. One study from the Economic Policy Institute estimated that school teachers made 11% less than other professionals with similar backgrounds in 2017.

"This should not be thought of as a partisan issue," Harris said. "It really shouldn't even be thought of as a bipartisan issue. It's nonpartisan. It's about the education of our children."