Ticketmaster may not be the most beloved company in the world, but it's also nearly unavoidable when it comes to many concerts. While the company is facing several investigations and lawsuits around its potentially monopolistic practices, many artists don't have any choice but to use the platform.
So at least that's gotten a little easier. TikTok has just expanded its integration with the platform, now allowing users the ability to buy concert tickets without ever leaving the app.
Originally launched as a beta test in the United States, the Ticketmaster TikTok integration is now available to users in more than 20 countries. Additionally, more than 75,000 artists on the platform now have access to the feature, according to an update from TikTok.
Let's take a closer look.
Ticketmaster is notorious for having a clunky ticket buying process. Waiting rooms, presale codes, specific partnered presales, confusing pricing tiers, timed out carts, and more all typically lead to confusion and frustration. While according to at least one website, only 13 percent of users would recommend Ticketmaster to a friend or colleague, the reality is most of your friends or colleagues don't have a choice.
So, TikTok created an integration that allows users to purchase tickets to upcoming concerts directly from Ticketmaster without ever actually leaving the TikTok app. The process is fairly simple.
If an artist wants to associate tickets to a show or tour with a certain video, they can choose to do so before posting. Then, a link above the artist's name in the bottom left handle shows up on the video prompting users to purchase tickets via Ticketmaster. Once a user clicks the link, they'll get a new page within the TikTok app guiding them through the process of purchasing tickets, similar to when you purchase something from TikTok shop.
You still need to create Ticketmaster credentials and use typical payment methods (meaning you can't use your existing TikTok "coin" balance or anything like that), but it does reduce a significant amount of friction for the user. And, at least in theory, provides the artist with some additional control over concert promotion and the ability to communicate directly with potential ticket buyers at the point of sale (i.e. on the video).
The feature first rolled out to a select group of high profile artists, and only for users in the United States. The invite-only beta for the feature included artists like Niall Horan and Shania Twain, and first kicked off in August 2022. While TikTok didn't say how many tickets the feature was actually responsible for selling, it did say videos using the feature amassed "more than 2.5 billion views of videos utilizing the in-app features by artists, sports teams and event organizers since its beta launch." Even a fraction of a fraction of conversions on that many views should theoretically result in tens of thousands of tickets sold.
Now, anybody with Certified Artist account on TikTok operating within more than 20 specific countries can include the feature. That equates to more than 75,000 existing accounts and hundreds of millions of potential fans. Those markets are: United States, UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden.
In a statement, TikTok Head of Global Music Partnership Michael Kümmerle said, "This is an exciting moment for the millions of passionate music fans in the TikTok community. 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. 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."
Being a Certified Artist on TikTok isn't as difficult as it may sound. Unlike other social media verification processes, it's not about necessarily establishing yourself as "notable" with a huge following. It's about establishing your TikTok profile as a healthy one with all the requisite information.
The process is fairly simple. Once you're in the app, click on the profile button in the bottom right of the app. Then, click the "hamburger" menu in the top right (the three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other). Click "creator tools" on the menu at the bottom of the screen that pops up. Then, under "General," click the "Artist hub" button with the music note icon next to it. From there, you'll be able to apply to be a certified artist. Just follow the on-screen prompts and you're on your way!
You'll also be fast-tracked into all the features if you use SoundOn — TikTok's music distribution service — to distribute your tracks.
While the Ticketmaster integration isn't necessarily groundbreaking (both YouTube and Snapchat have similar features), it does show TikTok's continued and rapid moves in the music space. In addition to launching this feature and their own music distribution platform, TikTok also has its own music streaming service, which quickly expanding to more countries across the globe.
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