Eventbrite snaps up Ticketfly

Eventbrite has confirmed its acquisition of US ticketing firm Ticketfly for $200 million. The deal "brings together Eventbrite's momentum in music, global scale, and expertise in event technology with Ticketfly's marketing excellence and strong track record of success in music" and "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"  said Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz announcing the deal, "and we see immense alignment and opportunity with this union". 

Ticketfly raises $50 milllion, and Amazon eyes up tickets

Software company Ticketfly has closed a new financing round, raising $50 million. The round was led by Riverwood Capital, Ticketfly plans to use the funds to accelerate development of its cloud-based live events platform, including new products and services for its existing client base. The financing will also fuel the company's move upstream into larger facilities, its expansion globally and into adjacent verticals, and a reimagined event-going experience for fans. The company's total funding to date is now $85m.

And it seems Amazon is moving into concert and festival ticketing, having started selling tickets to London West End theatre shows earlier this year via its Amazon Local platform. Among the music events seemingly headed to the Amazon no-booking-fee tickets store are a Tom Jones concert, Bestival and Camp Bestival. Geraldine Wilson, GM for Amazon Local in the UK said: "We wanted to offer a convenient way for Amazon customers to book tickets to a wide selection of music, theatre and comedy events around the UK in a few clicks".

and two former AOL executives have raised $20 million in investment for a new app, Bkstg, that aims to provide a one-stop shop for any one artist's fans, offering ticketing, video, merch and social networking all in one place. Among the investors that Erika Nardini and Ran Harnevo have recruited are Live Nation, Scooter Braun Projects, Modest! Management and the Three Six Zero Group

Ticketfly upgrades

Ticketfly, a leading social ticketing platform, has announced major upgrades to its social sharing tools, purchasing process, and mobile delivery options including Apple Passbook integration. According to a press release, Ticketfly's new social sharing options allow fans to RSVP to events on Facebook, automatically post events to their Timeline, and share purchases with specific friends by name. An update to the purchase confirmation page allows ticket buyers to "like" artists' and venues' Facebook pages and share events via Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus. The latest update also includes a redesigned purchase process that maximizes conversion and social sharing with the goal of providing an even more streamlined buying experience. The upgrade enables fans to complete their transaction faster. Ticketfly, launched 2008, also revealed the results of a study that showed that electronic dance music (EDM) clients have harnessed the power of social marketing and have discovered that social sharing results in six times more ticket sales for EDM shows than for other genres.

Ticketfly raises $22 million

Social media based ticketing platform Ticketfly, founded Andrew Dreskin who also set up TicketWeb, has announced it has secured $22 million in new funding from investors including SAP Ventures, Northgate Capital and Cross Creek Capital. The new round of investment means a total investment of $37 million the four year old company which enables artists and promoters to sell tickets via Facebook and Twitter.

Ticketfly raises $12 million

Ticketfly, the provider of a "social" online ticketing service, had announced that it has raised $12 million in its second round of funding. San Francisco-based Ticketfly provides ticketing, social marketing, website management and mobile tools to live entertainment venues and promoters and its clients include Austin City Limits Live, Knitting Factory Entertainment and Los Angeles' Troubadour.