Bye bye, Ticketfly: Eventbrite launches platform for indie venues

Eventbrite today announced the launch of Eventbrite Music, a new ticketing solution for independent promoters, venues and festivals.

Built on the Eventbrite platform, Eventbrite Music “brings together the world-class expertise and functionality of multiple platforms”, says the company, following last year’s acquisitions of European self-service platform Ticketscript and US indie specialist Ticketfly.

While not explicitly named by Eventbrite as a successor to Ticketfly, a spokesperson tells IQ the Ticketfly brand will be retired sometime in 2019, with all existing Ticketfly clients moved onto the new Eventbrite Music platform. (Ticketscript has already been rebranded.)

“Over the years, the core needs of a concert promoter haven’t changed: They need to reduce friction in their day-to-day operations, promote profitable shows, sometimes hundreds of them a year, and deliver a great experience for artists and fans,” says Andrew Dreskin, co-founder of Ticketfly and now president of Eventbrite’s music division.

“The amount of thought and work we’ve put into addressing these needs has been a herculean effort. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I can say with conviction that Eventbrite Music is the best piece of ticketing software that I’ve ever worked on.

“We’re excited to put this solution into the hands of independent promoters around the world and help to continue to fuel a thriving independent music ecosystem.”

“I can say with conviction that Eventbrite Music is the best piece of ticketing software that I’ve ever worked on”

While it is North America- and Australia-only at launch, IQ understands the platform will eventually make its way over to Europe.

Eventbrite Music is “backed by a dedicated team of the industry’s top music experts”, says the company, “who together with promoters, festivals and more than 1,000 venues, make up a tight-knit independent live music community.”

The platform is built for mobile, allowing for easy access to real-time show data; customisable reserved seating functionality with a mobile-optimised purchase process for consumers; and the Eventbrite Organizer app, while clients will benefit from Eventbrite’s partnership agreements with more than 50 third-party distribution platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Instagram and Songkick.

“Marketing and ticketing are synonymous in my mind and Eventbrite Music is a huge help for independent venues like us,” says Jordan Olels, marketing and ticketing manager for Seattle venue Neumos and Capitol Hill Block Party festival.

“Not only does it save time in the set-up of our ticketing but we can easily see which distribution channels are moving tickets, whether it’s Facebook, Spotify, Songkick, or something else. We’ve definitely seen an uptick in ticket sales since switching to Eventbrite.”

Eventbrite launched on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year. At press time, its share price had jumped to US$33, up from $31.79 at market opening this morning.

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