Audio ticketer Lisnr welcomes new investment

Lisnr, the Cincinnati start-up whose audio technology is being utilised for Ticketmaster Presence, has secured new strategic investment from consumer financial services firm Synchrony Financial.

The investment is part of a larger, undisclosed round that also includes participation from investment firms Mercury Fund, Jump Capital, NGMP and Danmar Capital.

Lisnr is the creator of an ‘ultrasonic communication protocol’ used to send data via sound. Its Smart Tone tickets are sent via email as a web link, which, when activated, generates an inaudible (18.75kHz–19.2kHz) tone decoded by door staff using an app. It was chosen by Ticketmaster in July for a new service, Ticketmaster Presence, set to be rolled out at select venues worldwide.

“Sound technology is revolutionising the payment space”

The latest round of investment adds to the more than US$14m in funding the company has raised since March 2012.

“Sound technology is revolutionising the payment space, helping with effortless transactions without internet connections,” says Neeraj Mehta (pictured), ‎executive vice-president of business strategy and development at Synchrony. “Lisnr continues to deliver new ways to use data-over-audio to support payments and other financial services use cases, and we’re excited to explore this technology with them.”

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TM partners with ‘audio ticket’ developer Lisnr

Lisnr, the creator of an ‘ultrasonic communication protocol’ used to send data via sound, has received a boost to its ticketing ambitions through a new partnership with market leader Ticketmaster.

The Cincinnati-based start-up debuted its Smart Tone Ticketing platform last October at the city’s TechStars FounderCon 2016 event. FounderCon attendees were sent their Smart Tone tickets via email as a web link, which, when activated, generates an inaudible (18.75kHz–19.2kHz) tone decoded by door staff using an app.

Now, Lisnr’s technology will reportedly be used to power entry for Ticketmaster venues worldwide. The roll-out of the new service, dubbed Ticketmaster Presence, is expected to take around four years to complete, although it has already begun in select venues.

Commenting on Smart Tones’ other benefits – the technology can, like Bluetooth-based beacons, be used to track concertgoers as they move around, allowing venues to deliver tailored messages and offers to their smartphones – Ticketmaster’s Justin Burleigh tells VentureBeat: “We used identity as our north star: our guiding light to develop a product that makes each individual fan experience the greatest it could be.

“This means using identity to drive customised experiences based on who you are and where you are, eliminating fraud, resulting in a safer environment and delivering more personalisation based on the specific event you’re attending.”

Smart Tone tickets are also tethered to users’ mobile devices (bringing to mind a system made famous by disruptive start-up Dice), which fits with Ticketmaster’s recent track record of eliminating ticket resale when requested to by the artist.

A video announcing the TM–Lisnr tie-up is below:

Lisnr has secured more than US$14 million in investment since its founding in 2012, including from Jay Z’s Roc Nation and college-sports marketing agency Learfield.

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