This is part one of a two-part series examining the ever-growing complexity of your job.
As you read this email, Taylor Swift is readying for the final American performance of her Eras Tour.
And what an epic tour it has been.
Recent reports have Taylor's tour as the largest grossing, highest attended, and most complex tour ever undertaken. It uses nearly 500 employees and 90 semi-trucks and will be seen live by over three million people.
The costs?
Speculation places the costs of the set alone at 30 million, with the total operational expenses exceeding $100 million.
But, don't feel too bad for Taylor - she's getting by.
By tours end, it is believed that ticket sales, merch, and more will make Taylor Swift a billionaire.
More on the money next week. This week I want to focus on the logistics.
Can you even fathom what planning, building, and operating a tour like this entails?
Ninety trucks? Are you kidding me?
This incredulous number makes more sense when you factor in Eras'sthree separate, but interconnected, digital hydraulic stages and a backdrop screen the size of a football field. And, that's just the stage - not the lights, sound system, rigging, set-pieces, etc.
When combined with dancers, musicians, video, special effects pyrotechnics, and her seemingly unending talent, creates a complete and compelling three-hour immersive experience.
And wait for it...
For increased efficiency and redundancy, there is a second identical version of ALL of this. The two complete shows leapfrog one another to the next city/show while the current one breaks down.
It's insane.
How did she pull this off? How did she manage all of this AND be a creative genius (she really is!)?
The answer?
A world-class logistics team that thinks through, plans, and oversees every single detail, and every single moment, of every single day.
Just think about it:
Semi-trucks
Busses
Equipment
Props
Costumes
Food
Travel
Hotels
Merch
Lodging
Building codes, standards, safety
But most important, she is responsible for the health and well-being of 500 people.
When you stop to think about it, you can go down a rabbit hole as the logistics are as endless as they are complex.
Where do 90 semis even stop for gas? Where do they park at a hotel? Where do they stop for food or to use a restroom without shutting down an entire street or city block?
It turns out that the seemingly easy task of performing music to enthralled fans is not as simple as one might think. The complexity of even the simplest of details (eat/sleep/restoroom) can be mindblowing.
So prepare to have your mind blown. Please read the bulleted list above again (no, really, re-read it).
Now substitute the Eras Tour with your next away game, contest, or trip and you will see some striking similarities.
Yes, Taylor's adventure is much grander in every way, but the logistics are the same. The size and scope of Eras is enormous, but so is the size of her team. In addition to being voluminous, remember that they are also highly qualified, certified, and experienced professionals who are trained to do this.
You? Well, you got you!
Just curious, how much training do you have in logistics management? Are you a Certified Logistics Associate or Supply Chain Professional? Do you have access to a Certified Management Accountant or a Supply Chain Management Specialist?
I don't think so, yet, you are expected to do all the jobs and complete all of the functions - even the creative ones.
You design the show, pick the music, hire the team, request the busses, secure the facility, fundraise the needed funds, book the hotel, find the restaurant, prep the performance, fix whatever's broken, tune the instruments, fill out the purchase orders, etc.
That is the world's longest run-on sentences and I only listed half of what you do.
In other words, YOU DO EVERYTHING!
Being a music teacher is unlike any other position in your school, or perhaps, even all of education, as it combines all other jobs into one!
I share this not to diminish the importance of other educators but to underscore music education's singular and unique nature. You do all of this, with NO experience, NO time, NO training, and most importantly, NOhelp!
Oh yeah - can you squeeze in some teaching while you're at it?
I don't think Taylor teaches the choreography or rehearses the band. I doubt she ordered the merch shirts or hands out the costumes before the performance. I find it hard to believe she coordinates the buses, takes attendance and helps load the trucks. She is focused on one job - albeit a big one - and lets others handle the rest.
You, you have to do it all, which in my mind, makes you swifter than Swift.
Running a music program is like running a concert tour - same responsibilities, just fewer trucks, busses, and people to help.
This is not a knock on Taylor, it is a love-letter to you! Taylor is not only talented, she is generous. To acknowledge the sacrifice associated with being on the road for 12 weeks, this past week, Taylor gave each of her 90 truck drivers a check for $100,000.00.
All you got was this email.
It makes you rethink our relationship, doesn't it? Maybe you should listen to Taylor more than you do me.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind."
- Taylor Swift
Next week, I will be back with a look at the money part of the job - along with some thoughts, tips, and ideas on how to best manage it and the logistical complexities of this crazy profession.
In the meantime, have a great week, and welcome back.
-Scott