TikTok has announced a new ticketing partnership, this time with CTS Eventim. Photo Credit: TikTok
Following an expanded agreement with Ticketmaster and an AXS tie-up earlier in April, TikTok has officially unveiled a global ticketing partnership with CTS Eventim.
TikTok and Bremen’s CTS Eventim, which is moving to buy See Tickets from Vivendi, announced their union today. As described by the companies, fans can now “easily discover tour dates and buy tickets through” CTS Eventim directly in the app.
Echoing the language used to describe the AXS pact, TikTok and CTS Eventim clarified that the feature will become available to each Certified Artist in “participating countries.” At present, however, those nations only include Germany, “with other markets to follow,” the businesses said.
Addressing the development, TikTok global music partnership development lead Michael Kümmerle, who’s based in Hamburg, reiterated plans for a worldwide rollout “in the near future.”
“We are very excited to launch this new partnership in Germany,” communicated the former Warner Music Germany exec, “where Eventim holds a strong position in the ticketing market. We want to give artists the opportunity to promote their live dates and drive ticket sales through great partners like Eventim, and we look forward to bringing this opportunity to artists all over the world in the near future.”
And in comments of his own, CTS Eventim COO Alexander Ruoff acknowledged the “incredible reach” available to artists via TikTok.
“As a partner to artists and concert promoters in Europe and globally, we’re always looking for ways to enrich our services to them,” the longtime CTS Eventim exec indicated. “Artists gain incredible reach through the TikTok platform – so we’re delighted this new partnership will allow them to translate that reach into an effective new marketing channel.”
Needless to say, questions remain about that overall reach given TikTok’s growing music industry confrontation and the ban it’s facing in the U.S.
While the platform is plotting a legal challenge to the forced-sale measure, which President Biden signed into law last week, reports have suggested that ByteDance would prefer to shut down (not sell) TikTok in the States if it comes to that. From the get-go, TikTok has described the law as an outright ban.
Furthermore, as we’ve noted multiple times, the service is also grappling with regulatory scrutiny in the European Union – a point that’s worth keeping in mind generally and with regard to the CTS Eventim deal.
This scrutiny includes but isn’t limited to a Digital Services Act investigation over TikTok’s advertising transparency and impact on minors. Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen just recently suggested that an outright ban could be in the cards in the EU as well, according to reports.
