Ticketing platform, new talent agency team up to master post-pandemic touring
Ticketing and reservations technology platform Lyte has announced its first partnership with a talent agency, the recently formed independent firm Mint Talent Group.
Artists represented by Mint will use the solutions Lyte offers to address touring uncertainty caused by the pandemic, creating the ability for fans to reserve tickets risk-free for events not yet on sale, according to the announcement. The news follows Lyte’s closing a a Series B funding round of $38 million, the supercharging of its executive team and recent launches in Australia and New Zealand.
An initial group of 30 artists represented by Mint Talent Group are using Lyte’s technology across hundreds of potential shows, including Taj Mahal, Angel Haze, The Soul Rebels, Helmet, Carla Morrison, Shemekia Copeland, Mersiv, Neal Francis, Trevor Hall and Jaimoe.
Under the deal, ticket buyers choose the markets and tickets they are interested in and use their credit cards to secure reservations, which Lyte says can be changed or canceled at any time. When tickets that match their reservation criteria become available, orders are fulfilled in partnership with venue ticketing platforms. Among other conveniences, the concept is that the tech allows agents and promoter partners to gain insight to route tours intelligently, with lower risk.
“Mint exists to put artists first and we recognize kindred spirits in Lyte, who has a team dedicated to giving us the tools we need to get our artists back to work safely and with winning economics,” Mint’s Patrick McAuliff said in a statement. “By capturing fan demand before we launch a tour, we can now have a true metric of demand at a specific moment to help book an artist in the right venue using scientific precision. This will only improve outcomes for everyone involved — buyer, seller, artist and fan.”
“This is a milestone deal at the vanguard of a post-COVID touring business,” added Lawrence Peryer, Lyte’s chief strategy officer. “In this new world, Lyte is facilitating closer relationships between artists and fans and giving superstar agents like those at Mint the tools to truly partner with promoters in a meaningful, sophisticated way.”
Full artist list named as part of the Lyte-Mint deal
Acoustic Alchemy
Angel Haze
Axel Thesleff
Ballyhoo!
Carla Morrison
Charlie Musselwhite
City of the Sun
David Ramirez
Defunk
Desert Dwellers
East Forest
Helmet
HIRIE
Jaimoe
K Bong
Lucia Micarelli
LUZCID
Magnolia Boulevard
Mersiv
Moon Hooch
Neal Francis
NotLö
Rome in Silver
Ruthie Foster
Shemekia Copeland
Taj Mahal
The Elovaters
The Movement
The Nielsen Trust
The Soul Rebels
Trevor Hall
Tripp St.
Yaima