A map of small venues, and artists opening doors for each other

Three parts

The map

Small and mid-size venues across Europe, their booking contacts, reports from artists who played there, and what changes when a venue in another country pays you (tax, set lists, funding). The map itself is open to everyone.

The tools

Claude ranks a city’s venues for your music, writes your first booking email in the venue’s language, turns a voice note into a report, and plans a tour you can drive. A contacts list reminds you to follow up.

The network

Intros from artists who played a venue, spots on each other’s bills, and swaps between cities. Paid with credits, which can’t be bought.

Earning credits

• JoiningOnce, when you finish your artist profile.+3
• A report on a venue you playedWhen it has at least three details. Up to three paid reports a week, one per show.+2
• An intro that got someone a dateAfter the show, like hosting them yourself. The amount follows the room size.+3 / +5 / +8
• Hosting an artist on your billWhen they confirm they played. The amount follows the room size.+3 / +5 / +8
• A venue you added to the mapWhen another artist files the first report on it. Up to five a month.+1

Spending credits

• Asking for an introYou ask an artist who played that venue (and wrote a report on it) to put you in touch with the booker. Your credit comes back if they say no or don't answer within 14 days.−1
• A date that came from an introPaid like a spot on a bill, to the artist who introduced you: the 1 you gave to ask, plus the rest once you add the date. The rest comes back if the date falls through.−3 / −5 / −8 in all
• A spot on someone's billOpener, co-headline, shared night. Small, medium, large room. Held while you wait; back to you if they say no or cancel.−3 / −5 / −8

Room sizes: small up to 100 people, medium 100–300, large over 300. Rooms of unknown size count as small.

Swaps: no credits needed

• A swapYou play their night in their city and host them on yours, or the other way round. The two nights balance out, so you neither earn nor spend credits. A swap is a way to play somewhere new even with no credits at all.0

The limits, and why they exist

We can’t check who is friends with whom, so the rules make cheating not worth it instead.

• Credits can't be bought, sold or cashed out.They measure what artists do for each other. If money could buy them, the artists with the biggest budgets would get every spot.
• Credits only move when the other artist confirms.Nobody can pay themselves. The host earns only when the guest says the show happened; the helper only when the requester played the date the intro got them.
• Both artists see the date an intro or a night led to.Either of you can add the date, and either of you can tell us if something doesn't look right. If you disagree, Sidelane looks at it with you. Credits only move from one artist to the other, so a made-up show earns nobody anything.
• Up to three paid reports a week, and one per show.Reports are the heart of the map. The cap keeps them real: it's hard to have played more than three new venues in a week.
• Up to five paid venue additions a month.Adding venues helps everyone, but a flood of made-up places would hurt the map. Five a month covers any real tour.
• Welcome credits once per account.Opening many accounts to collect them is against the rules. Hosts and helpers still choose who they say yes to, so credits only ever buy the right to ask.
• Requests expire after 14 days.So your credits never stay stuck on someone who doesn't answer.
• After the night, the guest confirms it, or says it didn't happen.If it didn't happen, the credits go back to the guest after 7 days, unless the host says it did; then Sidelane looks at it. With no answer at all, the night counts as played 30 days after the date, so a host is never left waiting.
• Only reports with at least three details count.Credits, opening other venues' reports and being asked for intros all need a real report: how you got booked, the deal, the crowd, the gear, the tips.

Fair use of the AI tools

Each account can, per day: rank venues 30 times, write 40 emails, read 20 report notes and plan 10 tours. That covers any real booking day and keeps the service affordable for everyone.

What it costs

Backstage is the member side of Sidelane: booking contacts, every artist report, the country guides, asking other artists for intros and spots, and the AI tools. The map itself is open to everyone.

Until 31 March 2027, everything is free for every member. The first 500 members who finish their artist profile are founding members. 499 of 500 founding places are left.

After that there is one plan, Backstage: €15 a month or €150 a year. Founding members pay €8 a month or €80 a year, for as long as they stay members. From then on, new members get 30 days of Backstage free, without a card.

Backstage

Booking contacts, every artist report, the country guides, asking for intros, spots on a bill and swaps, up to five acts with their own setups, and the AI tools: venue rankings, booking emails in the venue’s language and the tour planner.

Without it

Your account stays in the network. You can host open nights and take artists on your bill, answer intros, write reports and earn credits with one act; your credits wait for you. Each report you write with at least three details opens the reports of 3 venues of your choice, plus the venue you wrote about. Asking, booking contacts, guides and the AI tools need Backstage.

No account

The map: venues, cities, sizes and styles, across Europe.

Why this split: artists who host, answer and report are what make Sidelane worth paying for, so giving never costs anything. Asking does. Later, a second plan for artists who tour a lot (longer tours, analytics). We will confirm prices and dates at least 30 days before paid plans start.

Coming next

• Many more venues every week, including small towns and villages.
• Exact street positions for every venue (many already have one).
• Paying for Backstage on the site, before paid plans start.
• Theatre, dance and stand-up.