Business News Deals Live Business

Ticketmaster buys Front Gate and Universe

By | Published on Wednesday 10 June 2015

Ticketmaster

Live Nation’s Ticketmaster has acquired US-based ticketing firm Front Gate Tickets, which is interesting because the company had been partly owned by Live Nation’s main rival AEG, which acquired the tickets business in 2012 in partnership with promoter C3 Presents.

Then Live Nation took a controlling stake in C3 back last December. There was then much speculation as to what would happen to Front Gate, with some wondering if AEG would seek to take full ownership of the company as part of its bid to expand its in-house ticketing business, which was set up after Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010.

But no, Live Nation’s Ticketmaster has secured the company, which is particularly active in the festival ticketing space. The deal comes as Ticketmaster also buys DIY ticketing set-up Universe.

Says Live Nation boss Michael Rapino: “Front Gate and Universe have built innovative platforms for their respective verticals, and combined with Ticketmaster’s marketing and distribution capabilities we will be able to deliver the best experience for even more fans and artists. The companies continue to build on our commitment to provide the best solution for each segment of the ticketing landscape, combining the specific needs for each occasion with the power of our global marketplace”.



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