Touring songwriter
A songwriter on the coast road, with honest accounts
I'm Khanyi. I write songs and play them on the road, and I sell workbooks, a tour money tracker, a live recording and two video courses.
The tour accounts
What came in and what went out, after every run.
Seven nights on the coast roadNet +$22
Came in
$406
- The door$190
- The hat$120
- Tees$96
Net +$22Read the report
Five open mics and a wet beachNet −$55
Came in
$218
- The door$120
- The hat$64
- Tees$34
Went out
$273
Net −$55Read the report
Ten nights in a borrowed minibusNet −$104
Came in
$520
- The door$262
- The hat$140
- Tees$118
Went out
$624
Net −$104Read the report
Each part is sized by its amount. The newest run is the first one that came out above zero.
Past issues
New issues, straight to your inbox.
- 40
Seven nights on the coast road: the full report
Six hundred and forty miles, seven stages and the money, counted to the last dollar.
- 39
What the road cost, line by line
Petrol, rooms, food and one parking ticket, and why I write them all down.
- 38
Writing a song in a car park
A good line arrives at a bad moment, and what I do with it.
- 37
Five open mics and a wet beach
The run before this one: five small rooms, one cancelled gig and the rain.
Downloads, a course and merch
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Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.
About me
I write songs in a notebook and play them wherever there is a stage, a beach or a kind landlord. I drive a small hatchback along the coast in short runs of five to seven nights, and on longer stretches I borrow a friend's minibus. I play open mics, small halls and the odd gig on the sand.
After every run I write a report: where I played, how it went and what it cost. Most songwriters I know never see their own numbers, and I think that is a shame. If you can see what a small tour earns and spends, you can plan one of your own. The money is small and the songs are what I am here for.
What I sell is what I use. A workbook for writing songs, a tracker for the accounts, chord books, a recording of a night on the beach and two courses, one on playing your first open mic and one on planning a small tour. I do not sell lessons or play private gigs. I teach you to do it yourself.