With record sales steadily decreasing each year, the live music business is an avenue artists still depend on to make a living and build a fan base. To aid musicians in their venture, TourSavant.com has introduced the first-ever Virtual Road Manager for independent bands, a program that provides web tools, online applications, and offline components such as a personalized, loadable MasterCard?? which features fuel and hotel discounts. The website allows bands to automatically plan tours using an innovative tour router that takes the hassle out of planning and booking. This product was designed to assist new artists who lack management experience to help move their careers from the garage to the arena.
Now fully operational, music industry veteran Paul Rogers formed the site and business in late 2008. Unlike rival sites, TourSavant.com welcomes bands to contact them from the road for assistance with issues they may face. “I learned a lot about what these bands need while keeping the band Cactus’s going on the road for over six months???my passion for new bands led me to think about how to help others,” says Rogers. With Rogers’ aid, Cactus’s moved from the garage to an industry showcase at the famous El Mocombo Theatre in six months time. Rogers has also successfully launched publishing ventures including Fintage Music in the Netherlands (representing the rights of Nickelback, Gnarls Barkley, ABC Television, Papa Roach, and many others).
Kevin Kookogey, manager of Teleprompt /Warner Bros’, MUTEMATH, who Alternative Press deemed “the No. 1 live band to see before you die,” was enthusiastic about the launch. “I just took the TourSavant site tutorial and it is one of the most exciting new tools I have ever seen for new bands. If it was around when I was starting it would have saved me a ton of time and money.”
The site is a membership-based community. Features include GIGTONIGHT, a free service that sends a text message to bands within a four-hour radius of a venue available in the next 24 hours. The basic membership costs $12.50 per month and the PRO Level 24/7 band concierge is an additional $89 per month. Each membership comes with one personalized loadable TourSavant MasterCard”, which has discounts at numerous gas stations and hotels.
Download Tour Router Demo at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqK91ulbl7g.
For more information, visit their web site at http://toursavant.com/.