European ticketing platform Billetto has just officially launched its first native iOS app, which puts more of an emphasis on event discovery rather than just booking in order to take on rivals like Eventbrite.
The app actually launched in beta form back in January, but having garnered 15,000 early app users across Denmark and the UK (home to its new HQ), it’s now ready to shake off that beta badge. It’s currently available to users in Denmark, the UK, Sweden and Norway, and the next countries for launch will be Germany and the Netherlands, Billetto told TNW.
The ethos of the service is to make finding and booking tickets as easy as possible, the company said. To that end, users can browse suggestions from the Billetto editorial team, search for specific events or venues, or view a personalized plan of ‘liked’ events, invites from friends and purchased tickets.
Users can also favorite their preferred venues, artists and promoters too, to ensure they never miss the gigs they really want to see.
Naturally, sharing event details and inviting friends across social networks is a doddle too.
Billetto is also trying to carve out a space in the market by offering a system that allows brands to sponsor events themselves, thereby reaching targeted audiences online and offline.
More than that though, platforms like Billetto need to evolve for their own, and artist’s, sakes Peter Brünings-Hansen explained to TNW:
The introduction of new business models is key because the live industry as it is, is broken, in the sense that too many [businesses are] trying to get a cut. That is why it is so hard for content owners (eg. artists) to earn a living.
Billetto is trying to connect the actual content owners with audiences, by removing the friction of too many middle-men and traditional ticketing companies.
Brünings-Hansen is right. The mobile ticketing space is crowded, and there are already some well established businesses to go up against.
Nonetheless, with a focus on discovery and a willingness to try new business models (and potentially benefit from the additional revenue streams that could bring) Billetto looks like it has a shot at successfully carving out a space for itself.
Featured Image Credit – Shutterstock
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