NZ’s Eventfinda Presses Play on ‘Disruptive’ Subscription-Based Ticketing Platform (EXCLUSIVE)

New Zealand’s Eventfinda is paving the path for a scaled-up entry into Australia’s ticketing space, powered by a novel subscription platform. 

Eventfinda, recognised as New Zealand’s largest independent ticketing provider, is ready to roll-out a bespoke B2B model that, its creators say, will put control back into the hands of venues and promoters, The Music Network can exclusively reveal.

By selling subscriptions to use its proprietary software, the new model, TMN learns, would allow venues to assume control of their ticketing for a fixed monthly cost, with no locked-in per-ticket fees.

It’s about choice, sources say.

The digital tools would allow venues to decide whether to continue charging a ticketing fee — and communicate to live music fans how the money would be used — or choose to wave those costs.

Through the platform, venues or promoters would see all the ticketing revenue upfront.

Australia’s ticketing industry is led by the powerhouses Ticketmaster, part of Live Nation; and Ticketek, part of TEG; plus Ticketmaster-affiliated Moshtix and leading independent Oztix.

The subs model would attempt to tackle the myriad challenges that promoters and venues face, and comes at a time when the cost for insuring venues continues to blow out smaller operators.

“It’s a brand new way to think about ticketing,” says a source at Eventfinda. Australia’s ticketing market “is ripe for disruption.”

Founded in 2006, the first iteration of Eventfinda was an online cultural events calendar for performing arts and events in NZ. Three years later, in 2009, the business launched its first ticketing system.

Today, the business claims to have facilitated ticket sales north of $100 million on both sides of the Tasman, boasting a full suite of ticketing and marketing services to the events industry, including white label ticketing technology.

Australia’s live sector is on the way back after the pandemic wrecked live entertainment for several years.

According to Live Performance Australia’s 2022 Ticket Attendance and Revenue Report, published last December, ticketing revenue came in at $2 billion, up nearly 200% year on year, and a 2.9% lift on the 2019 result, the year prior to the health crisis.

Eventfinda is pursuing a piece of a pie that saw 24.2 million tickets change hands across the Australian business in 2022, up 123% year-on-year, and a 1.5% gain on the 2019 result.