If it takes two laptops and a smartphone to secure Taylor Swift concert tickets — and these days, it does — the ticketing system might be broken. Indeed, behemoths Live Nation and Ticketmaster recently settled an antitrust case with the Justice Department, though 33 states and the District of C olumbia are still moving forward with the case. The claim? These live-entertainment giants have monopolized the industry, and fans have paid the price. Trevor Titley has always opted for a different approach. “I’m noticing a want and a need from organizers and event throwers and festivals to bring it back to working with fellow independent companies,” Titley said. The Ticketing Co., a startup ticket platform Titley runs from his home in Fairport, is one of them. He oversees a 15-person team, with many developers based in Quebec, and the mission is simple: give independent organizers and venues what they need to run successful events. That includes first-rate customer service and sharing a wealth of knowledge about live events. “They feel lost when they’re working with an Eventbrite. They feel lost when they’re working with an AXS or Ticketmaster,” Titley said. “With our service, you can sell 10 tickets on my website, and you’re my best friend. You can give me a call, send me a text, and I answer.” That’s not to say Titley, a Long Island native and University at Buffalo graduate, would turn down the chance to be the ticket platform for an artist like Swift. The Ticketing Co. has its own queue system, though a blockbuster concert might be a bit beyond its capacity — for now. The company has instead made smaller-scale events across North America its bread and butter. A reiki sound bath in Virginia. A comedy showcase in the heart of Dubuque, Iowa. An RV show in Maryland that sold 10,000 tickets. Titley at home with his Great Dane-Great Pyrenees-Lab-Chow Chow mix, Lilly. ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES “We do have the same technology as a lot of these major platforms,” Titley said. “Granted, we may not have the million people going to Eventbrite to search for a specific event, but we’re building up our own organic reach within Rochester or Western New York, or Buffalo specifically, that we can (use to) be an asset to reaching people.” Locally, Titley provided the ticket platform for April’s Flower City Thaw musical festival at East Avenue and Alexander Street. He’s currently in talks and working with other Rochester organizations and venues to deepen The Ticketing Co.’s roots in his adopted home, where he relocated from Brooklyn less than two years ago. His wife is from Rochester originally, though she didn’t have to put on a hard sell when the pull to return home became strong. “The beautiful thing about Rochester (is) when I moved here, there was so much happening in terms of festivals and events,” Titley said. “We’re squeezing it in during the good months when we can, but it really did blow my mind to see things like the Perinton Amphitheater hosting amazing events.” While he was based in New York City, Titley built up years of experience as an event organizer. He started with two musical subcultures known for their rich communities: EDM and jam bands. Before long, he began working with the Northlands Music Arts Festival in New Hampshire and, closer to home, the Adirondack Independence Music Festival. ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES In doing so, Titley amassed a vault of knowledge he can draw on to answer organizers’ hypothetical questions. That’s what he does very well, said Blake Gianniny, whose firm Gianinny Brothers owns property at East and Alexander and has used events in the neighborhood as marketing opportunities. “He’s pretty knowledgeable on all the different ways to approach ticketing, even for a free event,” Gianinny said. “If you’re going to work with Eventbrite, you’re certainly not going to get the owner.” Titley’s organization also focuses on giving back. Money sold from each ticket benefits programs that help deliver Narcan training to events professionals as well as initiatives like emergency preparedness workshops for venue staffers. The Ticketing Co. has grown nearly 40% over the last year, Titley said. This naturally raises an important question: how can a service sustain its key selling point of personal-touch customer service as it scales up? He’s fielded this one before. “If someone emails me, I’m going to get to them,” Titley said. “But maybe, if you’re not selling over a certain threshold, you don’t talk to me, but you talk to somebody within my team who is still very open and very excited about having those conversations.” theticketing.co The post The Ticketing Co. strives to be an independent, alternative option in a crowded market appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less