A couple of weeks ago the guys over at Ticketometer, a new startup based in Texas which is currently in beta, got in touch with me to let me know about their service.
I get a bunch of emails like this from companies, startups, people making extensions for browsers, new sites trying to be middlemen etc and every time I read them it doesn’t take long for me to dismiss it and chuck it in the trash, because none of them are doing anything new or different, they’re just trying to jump into a game that everyone else is already doing better.
Not so with Ticketometer. When I read their email I was actually amazed at how good of an idea this was and wondered why it hadn’t been done already. The basic premise is this: An artist can register for their site for free, create an event in a town and pimp it out to their fans. The fans in that town who want to go to the show buy a ticket for it (you’re only charged when the show is confirmed/reaches its “setoff” point) and when enough tickets are sold then the show is confirmed. As a fan you can go on and buy tickets for any show on the site and if for some reason the event ends up not happening you get a full refund (including the service fee).
For artists it’s a great way to gauge interest in a show in a specific town before it happens, that way they know what kind of venue to book and don’t end up with only 10 people at a show that they might’ve traveled all day to get to, and it gives them more negotiating power with venues if they can say they’ve already got x amount of people committed to showing up.. As an artist there is no downside because doing everything on the site is free, and as a fan you get to buy tickets with a minimal service fee ($4 and they don’t take a percentage in total proceeds) and help ensure that your favourite new band comes to your hometown.
You can check out a demo page of what it’ll look like, and their site is attractive, very intuitive and easy to navigate. I’ve been speaking to the guys for a couple of weeks now and they have some big things planned (keep in mind they are still in beta so some things might not work they way they should), so sign up and check it out , and if you’re an artist, big or small, I’d highly recommend that you give this a try, you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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