YouTube Tries The Frenemy Approach, Partners With Ticketmaster To Sell Tickets Alongside Videos
YouTube is adding concert updates and ticket sales via a partnership with Ticketmaster. The recorded music industry may not be happy with YouTube, but that doesn't mean that artists hoping to fill venues don't appreciate the video giant's massive promotional reach.
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YouTube and Ticketmaster have partnered to add concert updates and ticket sales alongside an artist's music video.
"Starting today, we will begin featuring hundreds of artist’s upcoming U.S. tour dates on their YouTube videos," the company said in a statement "Fans enjoying an artist's official music video on YouTube can now learn about upcoming concert listings and with a simple click, go to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets."
A Very Un-Lyor Like Approach
As one of the first platforms to offer free tools and analytics for creators, YouTube knows that helping musicians make money from sources beyond streaming can soften concerns over the size of their royalty checks. Other streamers have successfully adopted similar strategies, including the ability to sell merch on Spotify or Pandora AMP's concert and release promotion tools.
It's a very different approach than YouTube Head of Music Lyor Cohen excoriating artists and music executives for the "disconnect between YouTube and the rest of the industry" and warning that their future "depends on whether or not the industry chokes off these new sources (aka YouTube) of growth."
Continuing this softer (and I think, smarter) approach, YouTube is promising more: "We’re just getting started. We’ll be rolling out this feature to all artists who have Ticketmaster shows in North America with plans to expand globally. And, as part of our ongoing commitment to support artists, we’ll continue to find additional ways to make meaningful fan and artist connections."
