We’ve got a guest post today from Better Than The Van co-founder Todd Hansen. When I saw their amazingly cool contest for SXSW, I just had to get some backstory from them on their startup, and how they are hoping to make a big splash at SXSW.
I started BTTV about two years ago as something to do after moving to Austin from Minneapolis. I’d been touring about 8 years and running a record label for about 5. Having stayed with a lot of great people on tour I was always amazed by the hospitality and connections I made. I thought I could open that idea up and see where it went online. I knew there would be a big need for it. People now seem more comfortable getting acquainted online and meeting offline. About a year ago I asked Scott Miller if he wanted to help out. He’s a drummer and had done time touring as well. He decided to come along for the ride and since we’ve grown quite a bit. We are also working on a complete overhaul of the site while looking for a small bit of funding.
SXSWi legitimizes your company in some respects. Even if you have little to no money you can still buy a badge and make great contacts. I’ve been going for the past 5 years and still stay connected to people I met my first year. Being present at SXSWi signals that a young company wants to be taken seriously and wants to grow. Music and technology are at such an interesting intersection right now. There are so many great tools available to bands, fans and the industry as a whole. Startups like Bandize, TopSpin or Superglued each serve huge needs. It’s an exciting time both for tech and music.
As a small company SXSW is an extremely tough marketing environment. With out a blue chip budget it’s tough to make a dent . You have to get creative. So we came up with van and gear giveaway. We reached out to Gibson, Zildjian, Ernie Ball, Pro-Mark, Taye Drums and many others who gave us enough free gear to outfit an entire band. We’ll be cruising around all of SXSW, dropping in on day parties/showcases and Tweeting our location along the way. We’ll announce the winner on Saturday, the 20th and hand the keys over. People can go to http://betterthanthevan.com to register and follow us at @bettrthanthevan or hashtag #winavan.
