TikTok and Ticketmaster have expanded their partnership. Photo Credit: Olivier Bergeron
16 months after partnering, TikTok and Ticketmaster have expanded their agreement to 20 more countries.
The Live Nation-owned ticketing company and the ByteDance-operated app unveiled their bolstered pact today. Under the beta set in motion by last year’s deal, select stateside accounts have been able to integrate links to Ticketmaster events on TikTok, which, despite facing ample regulatory scrutiny and controversy, is still extremely popular.
Now, the program is reaching different parts of the States and, as highlighted, launching in nations including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and Mexico. Per the involved parties, any TikTok “Certified Artist” based in the “participating countries” can access the feature.
While Ticketmaster event links’ ability to turn TikTok users into ticket customers is unclear, the businesses did disclose that there’ve “been more than 2.5 billion views of videos utilizing the in-app features by artists, sports teams and event organizers” to date.
(Of course, that TikTok reportedly uses a secret “heating button” to drive viral trends – or deliver viewers to particular videos and individuals, that is – means Ticketmaster links may prove doubly beneficial for artists who higher-ups wish to see succeed.)
Building upon these exposure possibilities in a statement, TikTok global music partnership development lead Michael Kümmerle expressed an ambitious vision for the “exciting” union.
“By enabling fans to buy tickets directly through TikTok, we’re giving artists the opportunity to reach ticket buyers in a whole new way and change the game for live events around the world,” proceeded the Warner Music vet Kümmerle, whose Disney– and DistroKid-partnered company introduced artist accounts to wrap November.
“As we bring fans closer to the artists and events they love, we hope to deliver further value to all artists throughout all stages of their careers and provide more opportunities for a growing fanbase. We are very excited to see how our partnership with Ticketmaster will develop over time,” he finished.
Regarding the potential long-term direction of the Ticketmaster tie-up, it’s worth noting in conclusion that the app has dramatically enhanced its presence in the music space in recent years.
Evolving well beyond a platform through which viral moments help certain tracks and artists find new listeners, the highly controversial TikTok has in 2023 leaned into streaming, distribution, artist promotion, musician competitions, music creation, and even crowd-based events, to name some.
Especially in light of TikTok’s being “excited” about the future of the Ticketmaster deal, the coming foray into live entertainment could represent just the first in a series of planned moves. Dubbed “In the Mix” and featuring Cardi B, Anitta, and others, this initial happening is scheduled to take place on Sunday from Mesa’s Sloan Park.
