RADIO ZEITWARP
SNARE BnB
FREE CRASH PAD SCHEME FOR TOURING MUSICIANS
SNARE BnB
FOR THE CULTURE
Radio Zeitwarp is a program to support emerging musicians and projects through direct funding, promotion and other ways we can think of going forward.
However, it actually started life as an informal way of supporting touring musicians with somewhere to crash for free in between gigs.
Gigging is a key income stream and promotional vehicle for musicians looking to survive and grow their audience. Even basic accommodation can be a massive drain on a touring budget.
Maybe we can do something to stop the next Ed Sheeran sleeping on the Circle Line...
HOW IT STARTED
GIG ECONOMY
There's a storage room above the Zeitwarp art studio that was built out in a roof void. We started letting musician friends use it to get their head down after a gig in London. It didn't have a staircase or a toilet/shower. Just a basic place to shelter in a sleeping bag on some old sofa cushions.
The first band stayed there in 2017 and ever since then the number of different musicians has steadily grown to where it now has become a regularly used facility for a wide range of bands & solo musicians heading between the North & South of the UK.
The staircase might have helped. The toilet and shower that went in later definitely did.
We christened it 'The Caymana' after a long running in-joke about a short-lived 'tropical' cream liqueur brand from the 1990's.
HOW IT'S GOING
ECONOMY OF SCALES
The post-Covid cost of living crisis has only exacerbated the economic challenge facing the bottom 95%* of touring musicians.
(*Made up statistic...but it's probably worse than that.)
A band that recently stayed in 'The Caymana' were a five piece that saved £600 on hotel rooms out of a £1000 gig fee.
So...yeah...one place can make a big difference...but it is still only one place.
The plan now is to scale up The Caymana into an informal network of free to stay 'crash pads' for touring musicians.
A "Share BnB"...or maybe a 'FairBnB'...how about SnareBnB ? (Not a big fan of direct puns...but there is a drumkit in the corner of the room.)
This is a parallel project to run alongside the Radio Zeitwarp TipJar. We're still working it out. By all means get in touch if you want to be involved.
Please watch this space...
