YouTube is getting involved in the concert business in partnership with Ticketmaster.
In the US, Google’s video-sharing platform will begin featuring hundreds of upcoming tour dates on artists’ YouTube videos with plans to expand into more territories in 2018.
A post on its company blog states: “At YouTube, we understand the importance of helping artists find ways to build deeper connections with their fans – the ones who not only watch and listen to videos, but are also willing to pay to see live performances. And, with live concerts becoming a bigger driver of revenue for artists, we want to help artists reach those fans, keep them updated about upcoming shows, and sell more tickets.”
The platform has been experimenting with ways to offer a ticketing experience and has now revealed its partnership with Ticketmaster. Fans will be able to learn about upcoming concert listings and then click through to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets.
The blog post added: “YouTube’s massive fan base paired with Ticketmaster’s global roster of concerts and security of verified tickets means we can easily connect a fan’s discovery of music on YouTube to their ability to purchase concert tickets.”
“We’ll be rolling out this feature to all artists who have Ticketmaster shows in North America with plans to expand globally. And, as part of our ongoing commitment to support artists, we’ll continue to find additional ways to make meaningful fan and artist connections.”
While the live sector will see the opportunities in connecting to YouTube’s data, the platform has not always got along smoothly with the music industry with persistent complaints about the value gap in royalties compared to other streaming services.
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