Seated Founders Reacquire Ticketing Platform From Sofar Sounds

Ticketing company Seated has been reacquired by its original founders, John Griffin and David McKay. The duo sold the platform to Sofar Sounds in 2021.

The platform:

• Seated was founded in 2017 with what McKay calls a simple mission to "give artists more control over their ticketing experience."

• Initial innovations such as giving fans early ticket access via SMS verification and allowing artists to capture their fan data have evolved to include presale registration, direct to fan ticketing, sold-out waitlists and verified fan to fan resale.

• Artists such as Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan, Post Malone, Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran have used Seated to capture data and ensure fans get access to tickets.

Behind the move:

• In a blog post on Seated's website, McKay references the fast-changing ticketing industry: "Artists want more control. Fans expect more transparency. And the infrastructure that connects the two has to evolve."

• He states Seated is "uniquely positioned to help make that happen."

The deal:

• The financials have not been disclosed.

• McKay will stay on as CEO, and co-founder Griffin will stay on as CTO.

What they said:

• McKay: "We're doubling down on what we do best – building great software for artists to own their own ticketing, capture and activate their fan data, and grow meaningful relationships with the people showing up to their shows."