Tixel’s Zac Leigh: Ticketing companies are recognising the value of resale platforms

Australian ticket resale platform Tixel entered the local market last year after its founders Zac Leigh and Jason Webb fell victim to a fraudulent ticket reseller at a sold-out Tame Impala show in Melbourne.

Almost a year after its inception, Tixel is turning heads with its features like seller profiles, resale and waitlist data, and its partnership with Eventbrite, which is known for its competitive technology.

In the Q&A below, Zac Leigh, co-founder of Tixel, tells TIO what sets the platform apart, how it makes its money, how it’s been received so far, and more.

How does Tixel differ from platforms like Twickets and Ticketmaster’s own resale site?

There’s a huge difference! We’ve built technology that can scan every e-ticket upon listing to block fakes and prevent scalping. This is unique in the market and makes Tixel easy and safe.

Another key difference sits behind the scenes. We work closely with organisers, artists and venues to give them visibility and control over their secondary markets. They can log in to Tixel to access resale and waitlist data in real time, which gives them a better snapshot of who is actually walking through the door at their event.

We are also fully transparent. This means that each seller has a profile and before purchasing, a buyer can review important information about the seller such as whether their profile is fully verified and whether they have a good track record for selling tickets.

Watch Tixel’s ‘How it Works’ video below:

How does Tixel make its money, what’s the cut?

It’s totally free to list a ticket for sale but once the ticket is sold, we take a small fee from the buyer and the seller to facilitate the safe exchange of the ticket. The fee varies based on the price of the tickets and event but is approximately 5% from the seller and 6% from the buyer.

How has the Australian music industry, namely promoters and ticketing agencies, received you so far?

The response has been great. The current climate in Australia has a strong anti-scalping sentiment being driven by artists, promoters and government. Ticket resale used to happen “offline” where promoters and ticketing companies had no control or visibility over what happened in the secondary market.

Now, with Tixel, they can reach all their fans and give each of them an awesome experience.

Ticketing companies are also starting to recognise the value for event organisers and are becoming more receptive to collaborating.

Tixel team: Denis Mysenko, Jason Webb, Zac Leigh

Who are your launch partners and why did you choose them?

Our first partnership was run in collaboration with Untitled Group and Eventbrite a year ago, who are both awesome to work with. We all recognised the need to provide this service to the punters and were open to trialling a fresh approach.

These relationships have gone from strength to strength since and we continue to work closely with both teams to innovate and improve the platform.

Is there room for multiple competitors in this face-value ticket space?

We are aware of what’s going on in the market but very focused on continuing to build out our unique value proposition towards event organisers and artists. Like any industry, a healthy amount of competition is alright with us!

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.