For indie musicians, there's nothing quite like hitting the road in that stinky old Ford Econoline and heading across North America.

But it doesn't take long before the romance of staying flea bag motels or crashing in the van in Costco parking lots wears a little thin.

That's exactly why musician Todd Hansen created betterthanthevan.com, a brand new website that pairs music fans with musicians who need a place to stay.

On the site, which just launched last month, fans sign up under "offering a place" and bands sign up under "needing a place." Bands can search by location, age and availability, while fans can look out for specific bands.

Hansen, a drummer who recently moved from Minneapolis to Austin, says that his own experiences on the road - which include staying in a particularly memorable "blood on the mattress type place" while on tour with the Hold Steady in 2006 - inspired him to launch the site.

"I simply thought it would be a good idea and wished it existed when I was setting up tours," he says. "Not only to meet new people, but to find other bands to play shows with or help out the next time they came through our city."

Using a commenting/guest book system, people validate members through their experiences, so "the collective intelligence" is what keeps the system relatively safe.

So far, Better Than The Van covers all of North America, the UK, France and Germany; and, with the help of mentions in places like Wired and MTV, the site is growing fast.

"Early on [in their careers], everyone ends up helping each other out," says Hansen, "and that's what's needed until you can afford cheap motels."

(Tune in today at 3:30, for Chris Alscher's interview with Todd Hansen.)