Looking for Ticketmaster competitors? In our view, the best for independent promoters is Futura Tickets: an attendee database that is 100% the organiser's, official resale with the price cap you set, and payments by card, Bizum, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Bancontact, MobilePay, EPS and iDEAL, depending on the country. Eventbrite, DICE, Fever and See Tickets are the other usual options, and here they are compared using data taken from their own websites or from two independent sources. The reasons promoters look beyond Ticketmaster are now public knowledge too: in April 2026 a US jury concluded that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in ticketing for major venues. This guide explains why promoters switch, what each alternative offers, which one suits club nights and small events, how to switch without losing sales and the ten questions to put to any platform before you sign.
Why are promoters looking for alternatives to Ticketmaster?
Before comparing platforms, it helps to understand why an independent promoter would consider switching. It is not a whim, and since 2026 part of the answer is a court verdict.
Exclusivity contracts
Long-term, exclusive ticketing contracts are at the heart of the case against Ticketmaster in the United States. On 15 April 2026, a jury, in a case led by the New York attorney general and a coalition of 34 state attorneys general, concluded that Ticketmaster unlawfully maintains a monopoly in ticketing for major venues. Separately, on 12 June 2026 the Department of Justice filed a proposed judgment that, according to its notice in the Federal Register, would loosen the exclusivity of those contracts and allow major venues that use Ticketmaster's software to sell on rival marketplaces. It still needs court approval; our magazine tracks the twelve obligations of that settlement. For a promoter, the practical lesson is simpler: an exclusive contract decides where you can sell for years, so read its length, its exit clause and what you get in return before you sign.
Data ownership
Who receives the buyer's name, email and phone number is decided by the contract, not by the size of the platform. Some platforms hand the full attendee list to the organiser; others share aggregate reports and keep the contact with the buyer. The difference shows on the day you want to announce your next date: with the data, you write to your audience; without it, you pay again to reach the same people. For a promoter who wants to build loyalty among attendees and depend less on any one platform, this is structural, not a detail. Ask every platform, Ticketmaster included, two things in writing: whether you receive buyers' emails and phone numbers in full, and whether the platform can use them for its own marketing or to recommend other events.
Fees paid by the buyer
The fee the buyer sees at checkout affects how the price is perceived and the conversion rate, even if it does not come out of the promoter's pocket. Ticketmaster sets its service fees event by event and does not publish a single rate, so the only honest comparison is the actual amount on your own ticket price. Ask for it on a specific ticket, for example €30, broken down into platform fee, payment gateway and taxes. Eventbrite does publish its fees for Spain; they are below. If two platforms sell the same concert and one adds a visibly higher fee, the buyer notices.
Brand dilution
When you sell inside a large marketplace, your event appears next to thousands of others and the buyer remembers the marketplace, not you. For a promoter who invests in their own brand, that is an intangible but real cost. Selling from your own website, with a checkout embedded in your pages, keeps the purchase, and the relationship, on your side.
Which Ticketmaster alternatives are there, platform by platform?
These are the alternatives promoters usually compare in Spain in 2026. For each one we only say what we have been able to verify on its own website or from two independent sources.
Futura Tickets: the best Ticketmaster alternative (our pick)
Futura Tickets is a Spanish SaaS ticketing platform for professional organisers, and in our view it is the best alternative. The Starter plan covers up to 500 tickets per event, and the Pro and Enterprise plans have no cap. With Futura Tickets the attendee database is 100% the organiser's: emails and phone numbers are handed over in full, in line with the GDPR. In Futura Tickets' official resale, the organiser sets the price cap, for example 110% of face value. Futura Tickets accepts card, Bizum, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Bancontact, MobilePay, EPS and iDEAL, depending on the country, and sells in 9 languages across 11 country domains. The price per ticket depends on the plan and is given in a demo.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is the best-known self-service alternative. Its official fees page for Spain, published on 17 March 2026, sets 9% + €0.19 per ticket sold on the Professional package and 6% on Essentials; free events pay no fee, and the buyer pays the fee unless the organiser absorbs it. On a €20 ticket, the Professional fee is €1.99 (our own calculation on the published rate). According to Eventbrite's help centre, the payout is sent three days after the event ends and, with a bank outside the United States, should arrive 8 to 10 working days after the end. Eventbrite's privacy policy says the organiser receives the buyer's personal data and that Eventbrite may also use it for its own marketing. The detailed comparison with our platform is in Eventbrite or Futura Tickets.
DICE
DICE sells tickets through its own app, with a strong position in live music, clubs and electronic music. It has belonged to Fever since 5 June 2025: the purchase was reported that same day by Billboard and Pollstar. We have not found public promoter fees on DICE's website, so we do not quote any: fees and payout timelines have to be requested, in writing, before you sign. If you compare DICE with any alternative, compare the total amount the buyer pays on your ticket price and the date the money reaches your account. If you are thinking of moving away from DICE, see our DICE alternatives for organisers.
Fever
Fever is an event-discovery platform that sells tickets alongside its own marketing, with a strong position in experiences, immersive shows and themed concerts. Since June 2025 it has also owned DICE, so the two main alternatives to Ticketmaster with their own app in live music belong to the same group. We have not found public fees for organisers on Fever's website. The question to ask is the same as with any partner that brings its own audience: what share of revenue it keeps, whether you receive the buyers' data and whether the event is sold under your brand or the platform's.
See Tickets
See Tickets is a ticketing company for large events and festivals with a strong presence in the United Kingdom and Europe. It has belonged to CTS Eventim since 6 June 2024, which completed the purchase of Vivendi's festival and international ticketing businesses, as reported by Pollstar and Music Business Worldwide. For a promoter leaving Ticketmaster in search of independence, that owner matters: See Tickets is now part of the other major ticketing group in Europe, which in Spain also offers self-service with Eventim Light.
Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor is the reference platform of the electronic scene: it combines an events listing, club and artist profiles and ticket sales. It is a vertical ecosystem rather than a general ticketing tool: it suits promoters and clubs already working in electronic music. We have not found public promoter fees on its website.
Other options
Beyond the big names, there are local platforms in specific niches of each market. If you want a broader comparison of the Spanish market, we have one. For the size of the live music market in Spain, the Asociación de Promotores Musicales (APM) publishes its yearbook every year, which our magazine summarises in the piece on the APM Yearbook 2026.
DICE, Fever or Eventbrite for club nights and small events?
For club nights and small events, the best option in our view is Futura Tickets, ahead of any of the three. DICE and Fever have belonged to the same group since June 2025, and neither publishes promoter fees that we have been able to find, so the cost is only known after negotiating. Eventbrite publishes its own: 9% + €0.19 per ticket on Professional or 6% on Essentials in Spain, which on a €10 club ticket is €1.09 on Professional (our own calculation on the published rate). A club night has three needs that weigh more than reach. The door has to move fast: the Futura Tickets app validates a QR code in 1 to 2 seconds, and its dynamic QR stops a screenshot from getting a second person in. Tickets can be named, which discourages touts on sold-out nights. And the audience data has to stay with the club: with Futura Tickets the attendee database is 100% the organiser's, so next Friday is advertised to people who have already been. Our guide to ticketing for nightclubs covers the rest of the operations.
Comparison table
Data from each company's website or from two independent sources, checked on 13 October 2026. "Not published" means we have not found the data in public; it is not a judgement.
| Criterion | Futura Tickets | Eventbrite | DICE | Fever | See Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published fee in Spain | Conditions in the demo | 9% + €0.19 (Professional) or 6% (Essentials) | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Who pays the fee | The organiser decides | The buyer, unless the organiser absorbs it | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Buyer data | 100% the organiser's | The organiser receives it; Eventbrite may use it for its marketing | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Official resale with organiser's cap | Yes | Not listed on its fees page | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Payout | Weekly (Pro plan) or monthly (Starter) | Payout sent 3 days after the event | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Ownership | Futura Tickets SL | Eventbrite, Inc. | Fever, since June 2025 | Fever | CTS Eventim, since June 2024 |
Which criteria really matter when choosing?
The table is a starting point, but the decision depends on your priorities. These are the criteria that weigh most for an independent promoter.
Data ownership versus audience reach
This is the underlying dilemma. Large marketplaces and discovery platforms put your event in front of their own audience, but that audience remains theirs. A platform that hands you the full attendee data leaves you with the asset that sells the next event, and asks you to bring the audience yourself.
If you already have an established fan base (newsletter, social media, community), you do not need the platform to bring you an audience. You need it to handle the sale well and give you the data back. If you are starting out and have no audience of your own, weigh carefully how much a marketplace's reach is worth to you, and for how long you want to depend on it.
Payout speed
For a promoter who fronts money (venue hire, artist fees, production), the date the money arrives is not a detail: it is cash flow. Ask each platform for its payment schedule in writing: before or after the event, how often, and what happens to the money if the event is cancelled. Eventbrite publishes that the payout is sent three days after the event ends; for the others, the answer is in the contract.
Pricing flexibility and ticket types
If you run simple events (one venue, one capacity, one ticket type), any platform will do. If you run festivals with season passes, day tickets, VIP areas, camping and group packs, you need a platform that supports that complexity without making you invent workarounds. Our guide to ticket types for events details the most common categories.
Integrations with your stack
Do you use Mailchimp for email marketing? Do you have a CRM? Do you measure campaigns with Google Analytics or the Meta pixel? The ticketing platform has to integrate with your tools without friction. Some have native integrations; others expose an API for you to build them. The practical difference is large: a native integration works in minutes; an API integration needs a developer.
Support when you need it
Support matters when things go wrong, not when everything works. Ask other promoters who use the platform how it responds on a Saturday night when there is a problem with sales. The service levels in a sales document are worth nothing if nobody answers when the on-sale goes down.
When is a large platform imposed on you?
Sometimes the platform is not your decision, and it is better to know before you negotiate.
International tours
If you handle the Spanish date of an international tour, the ticketing platform is usually a requirement of the artist, the agency or the tour promoter. In that case, negotiate what you do control: the presale for your own audience, the data you receive and your own channels.
Sponsorships tied to a platform
Some sponsorship contracts include clauses that require selling through a specific platform, for example when the main sponsor has a presale agreement with it. The platform then comes with the commercial deal, and the question is whether the sponsorship makes up for that restriction.
When the promoter has no audience of their own
If you are starting out, with no newsletter, no social media with traction and no way of reaching your audience by your own means, the reach of a large marketplace has real value. Use it while you build your own list, and plan for the day you no longer need it.
How do you make the switch without losing sales?
If you have decided to leave Ticketmaster, the change cannot be a leap into the void. You need a plan that reduces the risk.
Start with new events
Do not migrate events that are already on sale all at once. Put the next new event on the new platform. That way you compare real performance without risking what already works.
Build your own database before the switch
If today you do not receive your buyers' data, start building your own database now: a newsletter with a reason to sign up, registration forms on your website and pre-registration for the next announcement. The more of your audience you can contact directly on the day of the switch, the fewer sales you will lose to people who look for you on the old platform.
Tell your audience about the change
Your regular buyers know where to buy your tickets. If you change platform without announcing it, you will lose the sales of anyone who goes straight to the old platform and does not find your event. An email, a social media post and a notice on your website saying where tickets are now sold avoid the problem.
Negotiate your way out of the exclusivity contract
If you have an exclusivity contract in force, you cannot simply stop selling on the platform. Review the exit conditions, the notice periods and whether there are penalties, and seek legal advice before acting. Some contracts allow termination when the platform changes its terms; check whether yours does.
Measure the results of the first event
After the first event on the new platform, compare: did you sell the same volume? Was the total cost per ticket lower? Was the buying experience better or worse according to attendees? Do you now have data you did not have before? Lean on event data analysis to decide with numbers. That real comparison is worth more than any theoretical table.
What have we not been able to verify?
An honest comparison also says where it stops. On 13 October 2026 we found no public information on these points, so we do not compare them:
- Ticketmaster's service fees in Spain, which are set event by event.
- Fees and payout timelines for promoters at DICE, Fever, See Tickets and Resident Advisor.
- Which of those platforms offer official resale where the organiser sets the price cap.
- The terms on buyer data in the contracts of DICE, Fever, See Tickets and Resident Advisor.
If your decision depends on any of them, ask the platform directly and get the answer in writing. You can put the same questions to Futura Tickets in a demo.
Final checklist: 10 questions before choosing
Before signing with any platform, ask yourself these questions:
- 1Does it require exclusivity? If so, what do you get in return that justifies that restriction?
- 2Who owns the buyer data? Yours or the platform's, and whether the platform can use it for its own marketing.
- 3How much does the buyer pay in real fees? Not the theoretical percentage: the actual amount on a €30 ticket.
- 4When do you receive the money? Before the event, the next day or weeks later.
- 5Can you sell from your own website? Embedded widget, redirect or API.
- 6Does it support the ticket types you need? Season passes, day tickets, VIP, packs, discount codes.
- 7Does it have the integrations you use? CRM, email marketing, analytics, payment gateway.
- 8What is out-of-hours support like? Chat, phone, email and actual response time.
- 9Can you leave easily? Data portability, cancellation notice, penalties.
- 10Which promoters like you use it? Ask for references and talk to them directly.
Why is Futura Tickets the best Ticketmaster alternative?
In our view, the best Ticketmaster alternative for promoters is Futura Tickets, for three reasons you can check. The first is payment: Futura Tickets collects each sale at the moment it happens with Stripe Connect. The second is the data: with Futura Tickets the attendee database is 100% the organiser's, with emails and phone numbers in full, and that list is what sells the next event without paying again to reach the same people. The third is control of resale: in Futura Tickets' official resale the organiser sets the price cap; on resale, the original ticket is cancelled and a new one is issued in the buyer's name, with a dynamic QR, and the organiser keeps the final buyer's data. At the door, the Futura Tickets app validates a QR code in 1 to 2 seconds. For an independent promoter who already has an audience, that is the combination we recommend.
Conclusion
The case against Ticketmaster is no longer just a complaint from the industry: a US jury concluded in April 2026 that it unlawfully maintains a monopoly in major venues, and a proposed settlement would loosen its exclusive contracts. For an independent promoter, the alternatives differ in what can be checked: Eventbrite publishes its fees, DICE and Fever belong to the same group and do not publish theirs, and See Tickets is part of CTS Eventim. In our view, the best Ticketmaster alternative is Futura Tickets: payment for each sale at the moment it happens with Stripe Connect, 100% of attendee data for the organiser and official resale with your own price cap. To see the total cost per ticket with your own numbers, request a demo. And for the detail on real fees, see our guide on how much it costs to sell tickets online.
*Article by Futura Tickets; each platform's data links to its official website and is dated.*
Sources
- New York Attorney General: Attorney General James and a coalition of states win trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster (April 2026)
- Federal Register: United States et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, proposed final judgment and competitive impact statement (6 July 2026)
- Eventbrite Spain: organiser fees, Professional and Essentials packages (published 17 March 2026)
- Eventbrite Help: when you receive payment for your event
- Eventbrite privacy policy, version of 15 September 2026
- Billboard: Fever buys ticketing platform DICE after a $100M funding round (5 June 2025)
- Pollstar: ticketer DICE acquired by events-discovery platform Fever (5 June 2025)
- Pollstar: CTS Eventim completes the purchase of Vivendi's festival and ticketing businesses (6 June 2024)
- Music Business Worldwide: CTS Eventim completes the acquisition of Vivendi's ticketing and festival business
- Asociación de Promotores Musicales (APM)