Dice launches in Italy with promoter, venue partnerships

Dice, the UK-based mobile ticketing and music discovery platform, has expanded into Italy, adding a Milan office and an exclusive partnership with concert/festival promoter Radar Concerti.

The company, which also has a presence in France, the US and Australia, kicks off its Italian music offering powering Ricardo Villalobos’ show at Magazzini Generali later this month and FKA Twigs at Fabrique this November.

In addition to its deal with Radar Concerti, one of Italy’s leading independent promoters, Dice has agreed exclusive partnerships with two Milan venues: Magazzini Generali, a 3,000-capacity former warehouse space, and Arci Ohibò, a bar and nightclub.

Russ Tannen, chief revenue officer of Dice, comments: “We’re on a mission to get people out more, and that means making ticketing fairer and helping fans discover amazing shows. Dice was founded to fix a broken ticketing system. We decided to offer an alternative: building a tout-beating platform with only fans in mind.

“Dice is already working in Italy – since we went on sale exclusively with FKA Twigs in Milan, not one single ticket has ended up on a secondary ticketing site.”

“Since we went on sale exclusively with FKA Twigs in Milan, not one single ticket has ended up on a secondary ticketing site”

With the exception of those who resell tickets on “an occasional and non-commercial basis”, it has been illegal to resell tickets for a profit in Italy since March 2018, with the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) empowered to go after offenders and even shut down websites which continually break the law. The restrictions followed a previous, ultimately abandoned, attempt to crack down on ticket touting (bagarinaggio), spearheaded former culture minister Dario Franceschini, in late 2016.

Touting, however, remains an issue, and local operators have continually called for AGCOM to enforce the new regulations. Stefano Lionetti, CEO of CTS Eventim’s TicketOne, noted earlier this year that “there are still three clearly identifiable sites [Viagogo, StubHub/Ticketbis and MyWayTicket] that continue to speculate on the resale of tickets”.

Commenting on his company’s partnership with Dice, Radar Concerti’s Giorgio Riccitelli says: “By working only with Dice, we’re protecting our fans with secure, mobile tickets that don’t end up on secondary ticketing sites.

“However, it isn’t just a ticketing platform – Dice helps fans discover new events and music, helping us propel our events to a new, wider, and engaged audience. We’re thrilled to be working with a company that places fans at the heart of everything it does.”

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