Live Nation launches own Messenger bot

Live Nation Entertainment has followed its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, in launching a chatbot for Facebook Messenger, with the aim of converting more of the 1.3bn people who use the app every month into Live Nation customers.

Bots have increased in popularity in the music business in recent months, with StubHub (for Skype), Universal Music (text message-based) and ticket search engine TickX (for Messenger) among the companies now using so-called conversational commerce to sell tickets.

Live Nation explains how its bot works:

• Discover: With a few simple taps, fans can have the bot pull up events at nearby venues, search their favourite artists or browse through curated featured events. As users interact with the bot, it will learn their preferences and start building their concert profile to serve up their favourite events in the future
• Plan: Coordinating with friends is a key part of going to concerts, which is why Live Nation’s bot for Messenger utilises the platform’s new extension technology which makes it possible to share and discuss events with multiple users right within the chat. Fans can research solo, then have the option to share any interesting events with their core concert buddy or group to debate details like what artist they want to see, or how many tickets they need to buy
• Purchase: Once fans find an event they’re interested in, they can purchase tickets without ever leaving Messenger. They can also link their Live Nation account to expedite check-out

Or, if you can’t imagine it, the gif below shows how to buy tickets with friends:

“Concerts are extremely social experiences, and we’re excited to introduce a concert discovery tool that embodies that social spirit,” says Lisa Licht, Live Nation Concerts’ CMO. “Whether fans choose to interact with our new bot one on one, or get their friends involved in the planning, we think they’ll have a lot of fun finding shows to go to.”

The bot is live now, initially featuring events in North America. To start chatting, users can search for ‘Live Nation Concerts’ in the Messenger app or visit Live Nation Concerts’ Facebook page and click the ‘message’ button.

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