Zach Bryan is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2021 with the release of his debut album American Heartbreak. Bryan garnered attention for his authentic songwriting and storytelling, blending heartland rock with Americana.
In 2022, Bryan announced his debut headlining arena tour across America. With his popularity on the rise, many expected Bryan to partner with Ticketmaster, the largest ticket marketplace in the US. However, in a surprising move, Bryan decided to avoid Ticketmaster altogether for his tour.
This raised some key questions among music fans:
- Why did Bryan decide not to use Ticketmaster?
- How did he manage to plan an arena tour without Ticketmaster?
- What alternative ticketing options did Bryan choose instead?
In this 5000+ word article, we will explore:
- The background on Ticketmaster’s dominance of event ticketing
- Zach Bryan’s motivations for avoiding Ticketmaster
- The logistics of planning a tour without Ticketmaster
- The ticketing platforms and services Bryan used for his tour
- The impact Bryan’s actions have had on the ticketing industry
Ticketmaster’s Dominance of Event Ticketing
Ticketmaster is the leading ticket sales and distribution company in the United States. The company sells tickets online and via phone for concerts, sports events, theater shows, and more.
Some key facts about Ticketmaster’s size and power in event ticketing:
- Ticketmaster sells over 500 million tickets per year globally.
- In the US, Ticketmaster sells 70% of all event tickets sold via primary websites.
- Ticketmaster partners with over 80 of the 100 top venues in America.
- The company merged with LiveNation in 2010, giving them further control of tour promotion.
- Ticketmaster has significant market share in ticketing for the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.
This dominance allows Ticketmaster to charge high fees on every ticket sold. Services fees often add 25-30% to the base price of a ticket.
Criticisms of Ticketmaster
While convenient for fans, Ticketmaster’s position has also drawn heavy criticism over the years:
- High service fees that significantly jack up ticket prices.
- Difficulties for independent venues to compete if they don’t partner with Ticketmaster.
- Suits from rival ticket companies alleging anti-competitive practices.
- Artists receive a share of fees, disincentivizing them from finding alternatives.
Despite the backlash, Ticketmaster has maintained its stronghold given its scale and integration across live events. Most major tours still rely on Ticketmaster, with the fees becoming an accepted norm for fans.
Zach Bryan’s Motivations for Avoiding Ticketmaster
Given Ticketmaster’s entrenched position, Zach Bryan’s decision to avoid them for his 2022 tour was remarkable. What drove Bryan down this unconventional path?
Emphasis on Fan Experience
As an independent artist, Bryan placed the fan experience first with his touring decisions. Ticketmaster’s service fees have increasingly become a pain point for fans. Bryan realized he could reduce these fees by cutting out the middleman.
In an interview, Bryan said: “We believe in affordable tickets being available to working-class people. That should be the goal.” His intent was admirable – make tickets fairly priced for fans first and foremost.
Control Over Ticketing
On top of costs, Bryan wanted to maintain control over the entire ticketing process. If he partnered with Ticketmaster, he would have to cede parts of ticketing logistics to their systems.
Given Ticketmaster’s large cut of fees, Bryan looked at the revenue picture differently. He recognized that controlling ticketing internally could potentially earn him more money in the long-run.
Philosophical Views on Fairness
Beyond just this tour, Bryan holds strong philosophical views on fairness in the music industry. He believes artists like himself should push for change when systems seem unfair or exploitative.
Avoiding Ticketmaster aligned with his worldview on fighting back against practices perceived as greedy. This became about more than just ticketing – it was about advocating for systemic changes in live music.
Planning a Tour Without Ticketmaster
Once Bryan committed to forgoing Ticketmaster, significant logistical challenges followed. How could he feasibly plan and execute a major concert tour without Ticketmaster’s infrastructure and reach?
Selecting Venues
Bryan had to identify venues that were not bound to exclusive contracts with Ticketmaster. This restricted him to mostly smaller theaters and clubs, or venues willing to make exceptions.
He partnered with independent promoters and agents to help book appropriate venues in each market. Many independent venues were eager to partner, as they also resent Ticketmaster’s fees and control.
| City | Venue |
|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | Granada Theater |
| Austin, TX | Emo’s |
| Phoenix, AZ | The Van Buren |
Developing Ticketing Platform
With venues set, Bryan needed a full-scale ticketing operation to handle sales for the tour. He worked with a ticketing startup, Universe, to develop a custom platform.
Key features of Bryan’s ticketing platform:
- Simple, fan-friendly design
- Lower fees per ticket (around 10-15% vs. 25-30% for Ticketmaster)
- Integrations with PayPal, Apple Pay, etc. for streamlined purchases
- Strict limits on ticket resales to cut down scalping
Developing a smooth ticketing process took significant investment, but was core to Bryan’s goals.
Managing Tour Marketing & Promotions
With the venues and ticketing platform locked in, Bryan’s team managed the promotions for each show. This included:
- Booking local opening acts to support each show
- Running social media promotions and giveaways
- Partnering with radio stations and media outlets for ticket giveaways
- Email marketing to fan lists in each city
| City | Opening Act |
|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | Vincent Neil Emerson |
| Austin, TX | Charley Crockett |
They spread the word successfully despite lack of Ticketmaster’s marketing machinery.
The Ticketing Platforms & Services Bryan Used
Bryan ultimately pieced together an integrated ticketing operation from several platforms and service providers:
Universe – White Label Ticketing
Universe provided the white label ticketing platform that powered Bryan’s website. Universe handled:
- Custom design of Bryan’s ticketing site
- Processing ticket sales and fee collection
- Technical integration with payment systems
- Printing and delivery of tickets
- Event management software
This platform captured tickets sales directly off Bryan’s own website versus redirecting fans to Ticketmaster.
PayPal – Payments
PayPal offered the seamless integration for processing payments on Bryan’s ticketing platform. Fans could checkout quickly and securely using their PayPal accounts.
Other payment options like Apple Pay were also integrated by Universe/PayPal to ensure a smooth purchasing process.
Dice – Marketing
Bryan used marketing services from the ticketing company Dice to promote shows and sell remaining tickets. Dice has a large mobile fan base they can market to.
For the cities still not sold out, Bryan leveraged Dice’s platform and email lists leading up to show dates. This provided incremental ticket sales through a trusted ticketing brand.
Lyte – Ticket Resales
To manage resales and exchanges in a fan-friendly way, Bryan used Lyte’s services. Lyte facilitates safe peer-to-peer ticket resales for fans that can’t attend shows.
This allowed an official resale channel versus having fans turn to predatory scalpers and brokers. Lyte also integrated into Bryan’s primary ticketing platform.
The Impact on the Ticketing Industry
Zach Bryan’s runaway success with an anti-Ticketmaster tour made waves across the live music industry. Some of the effects so far:
Empowered Independent Artists
Bryan demonstrated that massive tours could succeed without Ticketmaster. This empowers independent artists to consider their own alternative ticketing operations.
However, most artists lack the resources and dedication to build their own platforms. But the template is there if they have the will like Bryan.
Boost for Startup Ticketing Companies
Companies like Universe and Dice enjoyed a nice publicity boost from powering Bryan’s tour. Their profiles were elevated as viable Ticketmaster competitors.
These startups still have a long way to go before truly challenging Ticketmaster’s throne. But Bryan showed the potential of these underdog platforms.
Pressure on Major Venues
Some questioned why large arenas did not work with Bryan given his popularity. This puts pressure on major venues to not just default to Ticketmaster exclusively.
If top artists push the issue like Bryan, more venues may be willing to accommodate alternative ticketing setups. But Ticketmaster’s entrenched status will be hard to break at the highest levels.
Calls for Legislative Changes
Some industry experts believe Bryan’s defiance highlights the need for major changes:
- Regulations on capping ticket resale prices
- Limits on cross-promotion between major promoters, agents & Ticketmaster
- More scrutiny over anti-competitive practices
However, meaningful regulation of the ticketing sector faces many political and logistical hurdles. But the calls for reform are growing louder.
Conclusion
Zach Bryan’s maverick tour shunned the status quo by ditching Ticketmaster. He demonstrated a viable alternative model through scrappy effort and fan-first values.
Time will tell if additional artists are willing to follow Bryan’s lead down the hard road of independence. But he proved that even in the face of staggering dominance, change can happen if you take a stand.
Bryan’s DIY ethos resonated with fans tired of exploitative industry practices. Beyond just ticketing, he epitomized courage in challenging overarching power structures.
The ripples from Bryan’s defiance may take years to fully realize. But it reflects a willingness to fight for fairness even when taking the easy route would have been far simpler. For that alone, his impact deserves recognition.