What is BTTV? Better Than The Van is a great way for bands and music fans to connect with each other for a practical reason. You'll meet new people, discover new music and help make touring a little easier. If that sounds like a good time, sign up and give it a try.
Still not convinced? Check out this piece the local CBS station did on BTTV.
Or watch a little ditty about the van and gear package we gave away at SXSW!
Or check out this little ditty from Fox News in Memphis
What's the story behind the site?Touring isn't cheap or easy. We know, we've done it for years. We've stayed in some great and not so great places while on tour, so we know it can be hit or miss. We figured people are fans of bands and bands become fans of other bands. If we give them all a place to meet under a common need, good things will come of it. If you'd like to help spread the word, join the Street Team and get a free BTTV t-shirt!
BTTV Reviews, Articles and Interviews:NY Times
ABC News
Wired
Independent UK
Independent UK - "Top 25 Music Site"
USA Today
MTVu
Fox News Chicago - VIDEO
Mashable
Brains On Fire
Austin Business Journal
Austin Chronicle (scroll down)
SEE Magazine
Decider - Austin
The Other Paper
The Deli Magazine - Austin
City Beat Cincinnati
Las Vegas City Life
Wisebread
Killer Startups
Exclaim
Tripwire
Detour Magazine
Reax Magazine
Kings of A&R
Largehearted Boy
Captain's Dead
I Guess I'm Floating
Austinist
MTV News
Music Ally
Be our Friend, Fan, Follower or Flickr: MySpace • Facebook • Twitter • Flickr
BTTV is:
Scott Miller and Todd Hansen
Our other site: Drummer Hunter - "Bands need drummers. Drummers need bands. The hunt starts here."
It's simple. Just a few steps and you're off and running.
1. Sign up as either "offering a place" or "needing a place" to stay.
2. Fill in your profile with as much information as you like.
3. Now search for places to stay or bands looking for places to stay while on tour!
4. Switch your profile back and forth from "needing a place" to "wanting a place" when you're on and off tour.
How do I find a place to stay or host a band?
No problem. We cooked up a couple "How To" guides.
How To: Host a Band
How To: Find Free Places to Stay and Be Welcomed Back
Is this some kind of weird groupie site?
No. That's not really our intent (see About Us). Though given the stigma of rock n' roll one could draw such an assumption but that's really not what we're trying to provide people. Hopefully that clears things up...
Search Tips
1. INCLUDE a country selection when searching by zip code. Do not select "any" in the country field, otherwise it will not work.
2. INCLUDE a number (5, 10, 20...) in the "with in miles" box of the ZIP CODE field on the the search page.
3. SEARCH using ONLY ZIP CODE or ONLY A CITY and remember #3 when using a zip code.
4. The "with in miles of" DOES NOT work with City searches, only Zip Code searches.
Is it safe?
Yes. Using a commenting/guest book system the community validates members through their experiences. It's the collective intelligence of our users that we feel is great way to keep things on the up and up. A lot of sites (Amazon, Ebay, Couchsurfer...) rely on this approach with great success. If you have any questions or concerns please email: todd@betterthanthevan.com.
What is "Show-Swap"?
Do you need show in a particular city but don't know anyone or any bands there? Can you help a band get a show in your city? That's why we added "Show-Swap" to the profiles. In most cases it means they'd be willing to help hook up a show in their city and in return you try to do the same for them.
My password won't reset?
If the reset link we send does not work, please send an email to help@betterthanthevan.com. Put something like, "password reset" as a subject so we know it's urgent. We'll take care of it and reset your password.
No one is contacting me?
Patience. They will come. There are a few reasons for this.
1. Make sure you've filled out your profile. The more info you provide, the more likely it is people will contact you.
2. Be sure that you have entered either your city name or zip code. If you don't, people will not be able to find you.
3. Check your trash or spam folder. Make sure to add @betterthanthevan to your address list.
My pictures won't upload?
Try lowering the file size. The max size it can be is 3mb.
What if my band doesn't even have a van to tour in?
There are companies that rent vans, we recommend a great company called Bandago. They specialize in working with bands, have some very economical solutions, and have several locations across the United States.
Need to cancel your profile?
We're sad to see you go! Go to "settings" in your profile and hit "cancel profile". If that doesn't do it, hit us up at help@betterthanthevan.com and we'll do it for you.
How can I contact you?
Hit us up! help@betterthanthevan.com
Still not convinced? Check out this piece the local CBS station did on BTTV.
Or watch a little ditty about the van and gear package we gave away at SXSW!
Or check out this little ditty from Fox News in Memphis
What's the story behind the site?Touring isn't cheap or easy. We know, we've done it for years. We've stayed in some great and not so great places while on tour, so we know it can be hit or miss. We figured people are fans of bands and bands become fans of other bands. If we give them all a place to meet under a common need, good things will come of it. If you'd like to help spread the word, join the Street Team and get a free BTTV t-shirt!
BTTV Reviews, Articles and Interviews:NY Times
ABC News
Wired
Independent UK
Independent UK - "Top 25 Music Site"
USA Today
MTVu
Fox News Chicago - VIDEO
Mashable
Brains On Fire
Austin Business Journal
Austin Chronicle (scroll down)
SEE Magazine
Decider - Austin
The Other Paper
The Deli Magazine - Austin
City Beat Cincinnati
Las Vegas City Life
Wisebread
Killer Startups
Exclaim
Tripwire
Detour Magazine
Reax Magazine
Kings of A&R
Largehearted Boy
Captain's Dead
I Guess I'm Floating
Austinist
MTV News
Music Ally
Be our Friend, Fan, Follower or Flickr: MySpace • Facebook • Twitter • Flickr
BTTV is:
Scott Miller and Todd Hansen
Our other site: Drummer Hunter - "Bands need drummers. Drummers need bands. The hunt starts here."
FAQ
How do I use the site?It's simple. Just a few steps and you're off and running.
1. Sign up as either "offering a place" or "needing a place" to stay.
2. Fill in your profile with as much information as you like.
3. Now search for places to stay or bands looking for places to stay while on tour!
4. Switch your profile back and forth from "needing a place" to "wanting a place" when you're on and off tour.
How do I find a place to stay or host a band?
No problem. We cooked up a couple "How To" guides.
How To: Host a Band
How To: Find Free Places to Stay and Be Welcomed Back
Is this some kind of weird groupie site?
No. That's not really our intent (see About Us). Though given the stigma of rock n' roll one could draw such an assumption but that's really not what we're trying to provide people. Hopefully that clears things up...
Search Tips
1. INCLUDE a country selection when searching by zip code. Do not select "any" in the country field, otherwise it will not work.
2. INCLUDE a number (5, 10, 20...) in the "with in miles" box of the ZIP CODE field on the the search page.
3. SEARCH using ONLY ZIP CODE or ONLY A CITY and remember #3 when using a zip code.
4. The "with in miles of" DOES NOT work with City searches, only Zip Code searches.
Is it safe?
Yes. Using a commenting/guest book system the community validates members through their experiences. It's the collective intelligence of our users that we feel is great way to keep things on the up and up. A lot of sites (Amazon, Ebay, Couchsurfer...) rely on this approach with great success. If you have any questions or concerns please email: todd@betterthanthevan.com.
What is "Show-Swap"?
Do you need show in a particular city but don't know anyone or any bands there? Can you help a band get a show in your city? That's why we added "Show-Swap" to the profiles. In most cases it means they'd be willing to help hook up a show in their city and in return you try to do the same for them.
My password won't reset?
If the reset link we send does not work, please send an email to help@betterthanthevan.com. Put something like, "password reset" as a subject so we know it's urgent. We'll take care of it and reset your password.
No one is contacting me?
Patience. They will come. There are a few reasons for this.
1. Make sure you've filled out your profile. The more info you provide, the more likely it is people will contact you.
2. Be sure that you have entered either your city name or zip code. If you don't, people will not be able to find you.
3. Check your trash or spam folder. Make sure to add @betterthanthevan to your address list.
My pictures won't upload?
Try lowering the file size. The max size it can be is 3mb.
What if my band doesn't even have a van to tour in?
There are companies that rent vans, we recommend a great company called Bandago. They specialize in working with bands, have some very economical solutions, and have several locations across the United States.
Need to cancel your profile?
We're sad to see you go! Go to "settings" in your profile and hit "cancel profile". If that doesn't do it, hit us up at help@betterthanthevan.com and we'll do it for you.
How can I contact you?
Hit us up! help@betterthanthevan.com