New App SHOWX Gives Musicians Control Of Ticketing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MAY 13 — Today, SHOWX — the free app empowering independent musicians to develop their careers and meet the current challenges of the music business — announces the rollout of the SHOWX ticketing platform, a new innovation that aims to upend concert promotion and sales by giving artists direct control over ticketing. With SHOWX, touring artists sell tickets directly to fans, granting artists access to fan’s email data and strengthening their relationship with their most ardent supporters.

In an era where so much is out of a musician’s control — DSP playlisting, breaking through with the press, hitting it big with a viral TikTok hit, securing the opening slot for an established artist — SHOWX’s platform is a boon to the musician middle class. Developed by independent musicians, SHOWX is an artist-empowerment tool that is a solution to an archaic system. SHOWX envisions a touring infrastructure that’s more transparent and equitable to all sides, improving the touring experience for artists, venues, agents and fans. 

By ceding ticketing to venues and promoters, artists give up control and access to one of the most valuable resources a developing act can have: the information of their fans. And that information is more important than ever, since most working musicians make a majority of their money  from touring rather than recording. In order to develop new markets and keep fans engaged, artists need to cultivate a direct line to their audience both online and off. 

The SHOWX ticketing platform gives touring musicians the data they need to confidently and strategically expand into new markets and helps venues connect with artists best suited to their capacities. In addition to booking the venue in advance as it is traditionally done, musicians can set a date and city for each performance without a venue listed. SHOWX provides the musician a link to sell tickets to each performance, which can be easily shared on social media and through email. As fans buy tickets, venues receive alerts of the ticket counts and determine whether they want to book that date or not, reducing venue risk — no need to put guarantee dollars in escrow. 

By providing a ticketing platform that is convenient and intuitive for artists, established venues, and unconventional event spaces alike, SHOWX is unlike any other platform, at once more efficient than the status quo while improving the odds of success for artists and venues alike.

The ticketing platform is just one aspect of SHOWX’s “business-in-a-box” concept. SHOWX gives musicians the tools they need to succeed in promotion, whether it’s by providing a chance to network and build through SHOWX’s professional musician social media platform, accessing a database of venue contacts, aiding in the creation of content for social media, or selling merchandise.

Says SHOWX founder Lincoln Foley Schofield: “Musicians controlling ticketing and owning the data of their fans is about more than a business opportunity. It’s the right thing to do. Sustainable careers are built on the relationship artists have with their fans, and our goal is to use technology to remove all barriers to this relationship.”

Download SHOWX:

Apple App Store: ‎SHOWX on the App Store

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.showxlive.showxlive 

FOR ARTISTS

The SHOWX ticketing platform solves one of the biggest issues artists face early on in their careers: Developing new markets and engaging with their fans. In the current paradigm, if an artist sells 200 tickets to a show, the information about who bought the tickets — particularly the email addresses of their fans — is controlled by show promoters.

Ticketing is the cornerstone of the concert industry. Musicians have never controlled it, so they never receive the fan data of those buying their tickets. SHOWX allows artists to directly contact past attendees, rather than having to ‘rent’ this valuable database from promoters to  promote to their fans every time they perform. 

FOR VENUES

Venues are sure to benefit from the new SHOWX platform as well. They can use SHOWX to receive passive notifications whenever a meaningful amount of tickets for a particular show or artist has been sold in their city. Venues can also proactively search for bands and post open show dates within the app so musicians can see what nights they can still book. Venues can also use SHOWX for opening act verification, allowing musicians that want coveted opening slots for well known musicians to prove they can sell tickets before confirming. 

With independent venues struggling in the wake of COVID-19, SHOWX’s ticketing platform enables venues to reduce the risk of the business and more easily identify suitable musical acts to partner with. Additionally, SHOWX provides a database that includes non-traditional music venues — farms, bars, breweries, restaurants, bookstores, churches and more — who are offering their venue spaces on an event-by-event basis, increasing options for artists in the crowded post-COVID event market and helping these non-traditional venue owners navigate a more transparent marketplace.

FOR AGENTS  

For agents, the SHOWX ticketing platform offers access to previously withheld data that can help them more effectively plan, market and execute tour operations with an array of marketing tools, including an opening act verification and notification system. With logged info about artists’ fans and ticket counts updated in real time, they can arrange co-bills, expand into new markets, fill gaps in tours and navigate venue possibilities with greater ease than ever before. 

FOR FANS

SHOWX empowers the conscientious music fan who wants to make sure that they are supporting artists they love in as direct a way as possible. Not only will the ticket counts guarantee to help artists as they work to book certain venues, but, because artists control this interaction more than ever, fun incentives can be implemented to drive fan engagement. Exclusive content, pre-sale access, or other incentives for concert attendees can be handled in a personalized way that caters to fans above all.

In the same way Etsy gave artisans and creators their own online store, SHOWX’s online marketplace is a uniquely tailored platform that allows fans to buy concert tickets, merchandise, and special experiences directly from their favorite artists.

ABOUT SHOWX

Conceived by working musicians for working musicians, SHOWX is a mission-driven platform that creates a forum through which artists can network, collaborate, co-promote, and create all with the goal of empowering careers and getting your music heard. 

SHOWX was developed with independent artists led by musician and longtime indie NYC booker Lincoln Schofield and with guidance from Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail.