Tour Managers Not Touring initiative axed after backlash

Tour Managers Not Touring initiative axed after backlash

Tour Managers Not Touring saw the most successful DJs rally for money for their tour managers.

At the end of April, some of the biggest names in dance music launched an initiative called TNT to raise funds for their out-of-work tour managers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Each edition of TNT’s The Sofa Sessions would see renowned techno/house DJs match a mix delivered by their tour manager. Carl Cox, Nicole Moudaber, Dubfire, Seth Troxler, Hito, Paco Osuna, Joseph Capriati, The Martinez Brothers, Carnage, and Alan Fitzpatrick participated in the series.

The first Session came out on 27 April and comprised of 27 podcasts totalling over 31 hours of music, which fans could gain access to upon donating €5 or more.

While apparently well-intentioned, the initiative gained major backlash from the dance music figures like Barker, Kornél Kovács, DVS1 and Maceo Plex tweeting their displeasure.

“Please give your money to real charities and NOT to rich DJs and their staff,” wrote Plex.

For f$ck sake.. please give your money to real charities and NOT to rich djs and their staff.

— Maceo Plex (@MaceoPlex) May 4, 2020

TNT blew up in their faces

The most widely shared criticism came from Trance producer John Skew, who recorded a video asking why the likes of Cox, Troxler and Nicole Moudaber “aren’t they covering their tour managers’ costs and giving these mixes away for free, or charging money and giving that money to the medical services, the NHS [UK National Health Service] and every other country’s equivalent?”

“These are guys with multiple millions of pounds, euros, dollars in the bank,” he said, “and they’re asking the general public to keep their tour managers afloat?”

Carl Cox in turn criticised the backlash on a post he shared to his Facebook page, saying that he has “never seen anything blown so far out of proportion without context” and saying that the idea came from the TMs.

Watch John Askew’s video about the Tour Managers Not Touring video below.