The show is done, it’s 3 a.m., you’ve got your fifty bucks from the door, sold some t-shirts and you need to figure out where to land. You’ve got the band fund, but that’s gas money not to be parted with for a quick stay in a rat-den motel. What to do? Whatever your motivation is to seek out free lodging we came up with an idea that may help. It’s called Better Than The Van, a couch surfing social network for bands on tour (http:// www.betterthanthevan.com). Yes, we know social networks are very 2007 but it’s the best we can do.
Ok, back the post-show scenario. The show ends in say, Boise. Everyone splits and you didn’t meet a cool person the whole night. I understand sleep may not be too important. I now from experience. After all, you’re on tour so fly the flag of debauchery and do what thou whilst. But you’ve got that eight-hour drive tomorrow and you plan to hit Boise again hoping for a bigger turn out. What to do?
This is where Better Than The Van (BTTV) comes in. No, it’s not some weird groupie site. It’s a small exercise in planning ahead and growing your fan base. We want to help you create friend bases that can turn into fan bases by meeting people under a practical need.
At BTTV our years of touring taught us that it starts with the people you know in the cities you play. A lot of these people we met because we slept on their floor. They usually ended up being other bands, promoters, bookers, college radio dj’s, door guys, rock writers, bar tenders, graphic designers and the like. Basically, people who love music, work in music and enjoying helping bands they like.
It works like this. If you and your music are likeable that word spreads and the next time you come to Boise you’re staying with that same person. Their excited your in town and they bring a bunch of friends to your show. Sounds great right? Possibly beats adding MySpace friends for hours? In short, as these friend bases grow they morph into fan bases. It is exponential growth through personal connection.
Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a cure all for establishing a fan base and making your band a full time thing. Yes, you can use MySpace or like-site to DIY your tour but by using a niche’ site of like-minded people and bands narrows the gap. By that I mean everyone is kind of on the same page. You get exposed to those who know how to help and would want to be helped in return. It creates a practical community around spreading more music to more places and that’s what we hope to do with Better Than The Van.
