Ticketmaster is a global ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California. Founded in 1976, Ticketmaster has grown to become one of the largest ticket retailers in the world through strategic partnerships and acquisitions of smaller ticket companies. Over the past four decades, Ticketmaster has acquired a number of notable companies in the ticketing and live entertainment industry.
Front Line Management Group
In 1982, Ticketmaster acquired Front Line Management Group, an artist management firm that worked with music acts such as The Eagles, Stevie Nicks, and Don Henley. The acquisition helped Ticketmaster gain leverage in the music industry by allowing them to bundle tour promotion and artist management services with their ticketing services. Front Line Management later spun off from Ticketmaster in the 1990s.
Ticketron
Ticketron was one of Ticketmaster’s early competitors in the computerized ticketing services industry. Based in Illinois, Ticketron had contracts to sell tickets for many major sports teams and venues in the 1970s. In 1982, Ticketmaster bought out Ticketron in a $4 million deal. This acquisition eliminated Ticketmaster’s main rival and helped establish them as the dominant ticketing service provider in the United States. The Ticketron brand and technology were gradually phased out after the acquisition.
TicketWeb
In 2000, Ticketmaster acquired TicketWeb, an early online ticketing company that focused on smaller music venues and arts events. TicketWeb allowed fans to buy tickets online and print them out, bypassing traditional physical ticket outlets. At the time, TicketWeb was one of Ticketmaster’s largest e-commerce competitors. The acquisition helped Ticketmaster gain a bigger foothold in online ticketing just as the internet was taking off. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GetMeIn!
GetMeIn! was a European secondary ticket exchange that allowed fans to buy and sell tickets online for sports, concerts and theater events. The London-based company was founded in 2006. In 2008, Ticketmaster acquired GetMeIn! for $110 million. The deal helped expand Ticketmaster’s ticket resale services into Europe to compete with market leader Viagogo.
PACIOLAN
PACIOLAN provided ticketing and fan management software to sports teams, theaters, civic centers and universities. The California-based company was acquired by Ticketmaster in 2008 for $290 million. The acquisition served to diversify Ticketmaster’s portfolio beyond just ticket sales into the venue management technology space.
LN / Live Nation Merger
In a massive $2.5 billion merger in 2010, Ticketmaster and concert promotion giant Live Nation combined to form the entertainment conglomerate Live Nation Entertainment. As part of the all-stock deal, Ticketmaster became a subsidiary of Live Nation. The merger allowed the two companies to vertically integrate their services in the live events industry.
TicketsNow
TicketsNow was an online ticket resale marketplace where Ticketmaster licensed its software to brokers to enable scalping of second-hand tickets. After initially claiming it would never get into ticket scalping, Ticketmaster acquired TicketsNow in 2008 for $265 million. The controversial move brought widespread criticism from artists and consumer groups opposed to ticket scalping.
Front Gate Tickets
In 2013, Ticketmaster acquired Front Gate Tickets, a California-based ticket seller that had already been processing a large volume of Ticketmaster’s tickets. Front Gate specialized in ticketing services for large festivals and concerts. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The deal brought Front Gate’s festival ticketing expertise in-house to Ticketmaster.
Ticketfly
As a rival to TicketWeb, Ticketfly sold tickets online for smaller music venues and promoters. After raising over $50 million in venture funding, Ticketfly was acquired by Pandora Media in 2015 for $450 million. Then in September 2019, Ticketmaster acquired Ticketfly from Eventbrite, who had purchased it from Pandora, to expand Ticketmaster’s services to smaller music venues.
Universe
Universe was a DIY ticketing and marketing platform used by smaller venues and event promoters. The company was based in London and had raised around $18 million in funding. In May 2015, Ticketmaster acquired Universe for an estimated $22 million to complement its high-volume enterprise ticketing business with a self-service option.
Paylogic
Paylogic was a Netherlands-based ticketing and cashless payment service provider focused on electronic music festivals and events. They were acquired by Eventbrite in 2018. Then in 2019, Eventbrite sold Paylogic’s European trade show ticketing business to Ticketmaster to further consolidate the industry.
Blockchain Ticketing Companies
In 2018, Ticketmaster acquired Upgraded, a blockchain-focused ticketing company started by Sandy Khaund, founder of Ticketfly. Upgraded leveraged blockchain technology to provide open ticketing services with transparent fees and decentralized distribution options. Terms of the acquisition were not released.
Ticketmaster has also formed partnerships and made minority investments in other blockchain-based ticketing startups including Blockparty and TickX in recent years. These moves allow Ticketmaster to hedge their bets on how blockchain technology could impact and potentially disrupt the ticketing industry in the future.
Recent Acquisitions
Ticketmaster continues to expand globally and acquire technology to improve its ticketing services. Some of their more recent acquisitions have included:
- TicketExchange in 2019 – A resale ticketing exchange in Spain.
- Bizrate Insights in 2021 – A sales and fan intelligence platform.
- Ingresso in 2021 – A ticket retailer in Brazil.
- InoTix in 2022 – A software ticketing company in the Netherlands.
Key Acquisitions Summary Table
Company Acquired | Year | Amount | Significance |
---|---|---|---|
Front Line Management Group | 1982 | – | Gained artist management services |
Ticketron | 1982 | $4 million | Eliminated major competitor |
TicketWeb | 2000 | – | Entered online ticketing |
GetMeIn! | 2008 | $110 million | Expanded to Europe |
PACIOLAN | 2008 | $290 million | Diversified into venue tech |
Live Nation | 2010 | $2.5 billion | Created Live Nation Entertainment conglomerate |
TicketsNow | 2008 | $265 million | Entered secondary ticket resale |
Ticketfly | 2019 | – | Expanded services to small venues |
Universe | 2015 | ~$22 million (estimated) | Added self-service DIY ticketing |
Conclusion
Through a series of strategic acquisitions over the past 40 years, Ticketmaster has grown from just one of several computerized ticketing companies in the 1970s into a global powerhouse that dominates the live event ticketing industry today. They have bought out competitors, expanded into new geographic markets and verticals, and acquired technology to adapt to shifts like online ticket sales and blockchain. Key acquisitions have included early competitors like Ticketron, expansion into Europe with GetMeIn!, diversification into venue management software with PACIOLAN, consolidation with Live Nation, and entry into the secondary ticket resale market with TicketsNow. More recent deals have focused on modernization through blockchain and data analytics. With a series of smart investments and acquisitions, Ticketmaster has maintained its strong position in the ticketing industry despite rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior.