Fantrotter, billing itself as a "travel website for fans," allows you to identify an event, from music to sports, and then do an automated search for tickets, travel and lodging. They've also released a Facebook app called Fantrotter For Performance that brings the site's functionality to the schedule of individual acts. It's a great idea combining aggregated travel search with ticketing sales. But the problem with its current incarnation is the reliance on secondary ticketing sites making it a useful tool only when shows are sold out.
Fantrotter: Ticketing and Travel Search
Fantrotter offers a pleasant interface and the option to search for particular performers or teams. It returns options organized by upcoming event for tickets, hotel, flight and auto.
The initial experience does give one the sense that figuring out all these details could be a lot easier than searching for tickets and then pinning down the travel details.
But Fantrotter uses SeatGeek which relies on secondary ticketing sites, resellers and eBay to source tickets. I found when checking on a Big Boi show tonight at the Orange Peel in Asheville, tickets were still available for $30, no additional fees, through their ticketing provider eTix.
Fantrotter isn't currently working with folks like eTix and they had no tickets available for tonight's show though initial price estimates suggested tickets would cost $60 via secondary sources.
While Seatgeek, which provides the ticket search, links to the Official Box Office, if secondary tickets are available that link does not appear, at least on the searches I conducted. So there is the possiblity, hard to say how big, of people seeking out tickets and buying more expensive secondary tickets when direct ticket sales are still available.
Fantrotter For Performers: Facebook App
Fantrotter's newest effort is a Facebook app for performers which displays Fantrotter's results for upcoming shows. So if you're up for including a resource that will direct your fans to secondary ticketing sites, this is the app for you.
If you and your shows aren't listed in SeatGeek then you won't show up in Fantrotter. You can use SeatGeek's Limelight site to list your band and upcoming shows.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at Flux Research and Crowdfunding For Musicians. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact:
clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.Related articles
