Live Nation is one of the largest entertainment and ticketing companies in the world. They promote, operate, and manage ticket sales for live entertainment events like concerts, festivals, and sports. With the high volume of tickets they sell, Live Nation relies on robust and reliable ticketing platforms to manage inventory and sales.
Quick Answers
Live Nation uses Ticketmaster as their primary ticketing provider. Ticketmaster is a subsidiary of Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to create Live Nation Entertainment. So Live Nation owns the Ticketmaster platform and uses it to sell tickets for the majority of their events.
Ticketmaster
As mentioned above, Ticketmaster is the main ticketing system used by Live Nation for their events. Ticketmaster provides Live Nation with an enterprise-level platform that can handle their high ticket sales volume. It enables Live Nation to sell tickets online, through mobile apps, by phone, and at venue box offices.
Some key features of the Ticketmaster system used by Live Nation include:
- Inventory management – Tracks tickets available for all events and seats.
- Dynamic pricing – Adjusts ticket prices based on demand.
- Shopping cart and payment processing – Enables online ticket purchases.
- Ticket delivery – Provides mobile and print-at-home ticket options.
- Access control – Integrates with venue entry systems to validate tickets.
- Reporting and analytics – Provides data and insights on sales.
The Ticketmaster platform is highly scalable, which allows it to handle Live Nation’s huge volume, including hundreds of millions of ticket sales per year. It provides Live Nation with full control and visibility into their ticketing operations.
Key Benefits of Using Ticketmaster
Here are some of the key benefits Live Nation gains by using Ticketmaster as their primary ticketing system:
- Integration – As part of Live Nation, Ticketmaster is fully integrated into their business operations and systems.
- Established platform – Ticketmaster is a proven, reliable system capable of handling Live Nation’s needs.
- Features – Ticketmaster provides a wide range of ticketing features required for Live Nation’s large events.
- Scalability – The system scales to handle massive ticket volumes without issues.
- Data and analytics – Live Nation gains valuable ticketing data and sales insights from Ticketmaster.
- Consumer reach – Ticketmaster has a large consumer base for selling Live Nation tickets.
Secondary Ticketing Systems
While Ticketmaster is their primary ticketing system, Live Nation does utilize other platforms in certain cases. This includes using secondary ticketing providers for specific venues, events, or international markets.
AXS
For some venues owned or operated by AEG, like the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Live Nation will use AXS as the ticketing provider. AXS is owned by AEG and is required for events held in their venues. This allows Live Nation to sell tickets on AXS for concerts taking place in AEG arenas and theaters.
See Tickets
In the UK and Ireland markets, Live Nation uses See Tickets as a ticketing partner for some events. See Tickets has a strong presence selling tickets in those regions. Live Nation may use them for select events to leverage their local customer base.
Universe
For Live Nation’s electronic and dance music events, they utilize Universe as a specialty ticketing platform. Universe provides features tailored to these types of events, like shuttle passes and RFID wristbands. Live Nation uses Universe to enhance the experience for fans attending EDM festivals and similar events.
Venue Systems
Some venues have their own proprietary ticketing systems that they require event promoters to use. In these cases, Live Nation will sell tickets through the venue’s mandated platform for events held there. This allows Live Nation to use the venue without requiring the venue to switch ticketing providers.
Key Considerations in Selecting Ticketing Systems
When determining the best ticketing platform for an event, there are a few key factors Live Nation likely considers:
- Venue requirements – If the venue has an existing ticketing contract, that system must be used.
- Anticipated sales volume – The platform must be able to handle high ticket demand without issues.
- Target audience – The system should have a customer base aligned with the event audience.
- Required features – The ticketing platform must have needed features like access control integration.
- Consumer reach – Wider consumer reach provides more sales opportunities.
- Platform fees – Costs and fee structures vary between ticketing providers.
By evaluating these factors, Live Nation can determine which ticketing system is the best fit for each specific event.
The Future of Ticketing at Live Nation
While Ticketmaster will likely remain Live Nation’s core ticketing platform, there are some interesting developments on the horizon for their ticketing operations:
- More dynamic pricing – Ticketmaster is expanding dynamic pricing based on supply and demand signals.
- Mobile ticketing growth – Mobile tickets continue to take share from traditional paper tickets.
- Analytics improvements – Enhanced data analytics from Ticketmaster provide better sales insights.
- More YouTube integration – Closer links between Ticketmaster and YouTube provide new marketing opportunities.
Live Nation will continue innovating with their ticketing systems and processes to improve sales capabilities and the overall fan experience. But the Ticketmaster platform will remain central to their high-volume ticketing needs now and into the future.
Conclusion
In summary, Live Nation relies primarily on Ticketmaster for their enterprise-level ticketing needs. The integrated platform from their Ticketmaster subsidiary provides Live Nation with the capabilities required for their large scale events. For some specific venues, events, or international markets, Live Nation will use secondary ticketing systems like AXS, SeeTickets, or Universe as needed. But the vast majority of Live Nation’s hundreds of millions of annual ticket sales are processed through their core Ticketmaster ticketing system.