Dainty Group buys stake in BangTango
Dainty Group International has acquired what it describes as “a cornerstone investment” in live music sponsorship and ticketing company BangTango. The size of the stake is not known.
Dainty and BangTango have worked together since the latter launched in April 2013, providing sponsorships and ticketing packages for Dainty tours as Michael Bublé,Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond and Katy Perry. The new alliance will see BangTango expand its services to musical theatre, lifestyle and marquee sporting events. The two companies will also jointly pursue more global opportunities.
BangTango’s services are integral to its major partner Telstra’s customer loyalty scheme, Telstra Thanks. These include exclusive pre-sales, VIP tickets and packages and events including meet-and-greets, photo opportunities and soundcheck access for Telstra customers. Bublé and Perry visited Telstra’s headquarters in Sydney to meet staff, while Bon Jovi’s final Brisbane show was streamed on Telstra digital platforms.
Paul Dainty, Melbourne-based Chairman and CEO of Dainty Group International, said that the growth of the Australian live industry to $2.5 billion in revenue, “sponsorship and fan engagement are becoming increasingly important to major artists as another important distribution channel.
“BangTango has created an unrivalled platform which helps sponsors speak directly to the artist and their fans. It’s not uncommon for BangTango-driven sponsorships to sell over 50,000 tickets, the equivalent to an additional, incremental, arena show in each market.”
Dan Popic, BangTango’s founder and Director, said Dainty had been a client since his company launched: “We are delighted to welcome them as investors to help us deliver our strategic objectives and drive further value for touring artists, their fans and a growing range of sponsor partners.”
He added, “Dainty is a market leader in live entertainment across Asia Pacific with a superior understanding of how to launch and deliver concert tours to meet sponsor brands’ needs and a genuine willingness to elevate this strategy to a completely new level.”
While the two companies have formalised a partnership, they will continue to work with other agencies and promoters.