​​As 2025 winds down, we’ve been thinking a lot about what this year actually felt like for independent organizers.

It felt like more questions. More intention. And a lot more honesty.

This was the year organizers stopped defaulting to “the way it’s always been done” and started asking harder questions about how ticketing impacts their events, their audiences, and their long-term sustainability. Headlines about lawsuits, fees, and opaque practices  pushed real conversations forward. Organizers wanted to know: Where should I sell tickets so my fans trust the process? How do I sell concert tickets online without losing control or burying people in fees?

That shift—from scale-first to people-first—defined 2025. In this article, we’ll unpack the top highlights from the ticketing world in 2025 and how we aim to carry on this spirit of “let’s do ticketing better” into 2026.

Selling Tickets Became a Strategic Decision

Throughout the year, we watched organizers treat ticketing less like a box to check and more like a core part of their event strategy. Instead of asking only how to sell tickets online, organizers started asking why it mattered where those tickets lived.

In an answer to that question, we saw event organizers make deliberate, strategic decisions for how to sell tickets, like: 

• Moving away from resale-heavy marketplaces after fans complained about inflated prices and confusion at the door

• Prioritizing platforms that allow them to own their audience data instead of renting it

• Simplifying checkout to reduce abandoned carts and last-minute friction

Selling tickets online in 2025 meant balancing reach with ownership. That’s where Sellout continued to focus: helping organizers sell concert tickets online without unnecessary complexity and without sacrificing trust.

The Frustrations are Real, but Organizers are Proactively Seeking Better Ways to Do Ticketing

One of the highlights of the year for our team was attending NIVA 2025, the National Independent Venue Association’s annual conference that brings together venue owners, promoters, and industry partners to support and advocate for independent live music and event spaces. During this time, the Sellout team spent time face-to-face with independent venue owners, promoters, and event teams, talking about the highs and lows of event ticketing and how to solve themAs a proud NIVA affiliate, these conversations matter deeply to us, as they signal the real needs of event organizers and how we can aim to meet those needs. This year, there were common themes to what organizers shared with us.

Here were some of the frustrations organizers shared with us:

• Fans are feeling burned by surprise fees

• Organizers have a difficult time explaining pricing to fans when event ticketing platforms aren’t transparent with their own fees

• Tools built for massive scale are difficult for independent event organizers to use, since they don’t reflect the realities these type of events face

What we heard again and again was a desire for ticketing to feel honest, simple, and aligned with how independent events actually operate. At Sellout, we take that seriously. From transparent pricing to tools designed specifically for small teams and community-driven events, we’re focused on removing friction so organizers can spend less time managing ticketing headaches and more time building great experiences.

Even amid these frustrations, we also heard a lot of optimism. Across the U.S., organizers are actively experimenting with better ways to sell tickets online that respect both their audience and their brand. At NIVA, we saw teams leaning into all-in pricing, prioritizing direct relationships with fans, using ticketing as an extension of their brand voice, and choosing platforms that value long-term trust over short-term gains.

Those conversations left us energized. Independent organizers are asking for fair, better marketing tools that help them actually reach their audiences. At Sellout, we’re proud to be part of that shift, creating a space where transparent ticketing, built-in marketing support, and optimism about the future of live events can coexist and grow.

Some Organizers Who Made 2025 Special

This year, we were proud to support organizers who remind us why independent events matter.

We welcomed Bridger Kitchens, whose gatherings center around food, creativity, and community connection. We partnered with Rappin’ the Rivers, an event deeply rooted in music, culture, and place. We continued supporting the Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festivals, where intimate performances and storytelling take priority over spectacle.

These organizers were building experiences people come back to year after year. Choosing where to sell tickets online was part of that trust-building process.

Ticketing is No Longer about Distribution

This year made one thing clear: ticketing means more than just getting tickets into people’s hands.

Organizers want to sell tickets without hidden fees. They want to reassure fans that their tickets are legitimate. Venues want partners who respect their relationship with their audience and make their tickets worth the investment.

We saw more organizers question whether selling tickets on large, resale-driven marketplaces truly served their events. These platforms often prioritize volume and secondary market activity over the relationship between organizers and their audiences, making it harder to control pricing, messaging, and the overall fan experience. For independent events, that loss of control can dilute trust and brand connection, two things that matter most at the local level. What worked best in 2025 was refreshingly simple:

• Clear, upfront pricing

• Fast, mobile-first checkout

• Direct communication with fans

• Fewer barriers between discovery and the door

When ticketing gets out of the way, events shine. Clear pricing, thoughtful marketing tools, and honest communication create space for creativity and trust to lead. That’s the future independent organizers are asking for, and the one Sellout is committed to supporting.

Text Ticketing is Booming, so We Expanded Our Marketing Toolkit for SMS Marketing

Beyond ticketing, organizers in 2025 looked for better ways to reach their audiences directly. According to industry benchmarks, text marketing continued to stand out as one of the most effective tools for driving last-minute ticket sales and keeping fans engaged, with SMS open rates around 98% and most messages read within minutes of delivery. For time-sensitive events, that immediacy helped organizers cut through the noise, prompt action, and fill rooms without relying on third-party marketplaces.

To address this growing need for direct fan engagement, Sellout partnered with CTO, providing organizers with a streamlined platform to manage text campaigns alongside their ticket sales. Through Check This Out, organizers can send personalized messages, segment audiences by past attendance or interests, and schedule reminders or flash promotions, all from one place. Whether promoting an upcoming show, offering early-bird perks, or reminding fans to grab tickets before doors open, text messaging became a powerful complement to selling tickets online, helping organizers boost attendance, strengthen relationships with their audience, and make marketing feel as intentional as the events themselves.

But the opportunities to connect don’t end there! In 2026, we’re excited to continue expanding our marketing toolkit with new features designed to help organizers sell tickets more efficiently and manage their events with ease. Expect tools that make promoting shows, engaging fans, and tracking performance simpler, giving organizers more time to focus on what really matters: creating unforgettable experiences for their community.

Rethinking Where to Sell Tickets Online

In 2025, more organizers took ownership of the question: Where should we sell tickets online?

Instead of defaulting to the biggest name, they looked for platforms that aligned with their values. They wanted to sell tickets directly, reduce friction for fans, and stay focused on what actually matters which is the event itself.

Sellout exists to support that shift: a simpler, more transparent way to sell tickets online while keeping organizers in control.

Looking Into 2026 

2025 made something very clear: independent events don’t need bigger platforms, they need better partners.

The organizers who thrived this year were the ones who took ownership of their ticketing, chose transparency over complexity, and prioritized trust with their audiences, just like the standout events we highlighted from 2025. By using tools that made pricing clear, communicating directly with fans through text and other channels, and focusing on experiences rather than sheer volume, they proved that selling tickets online doesn’t have to feel extractive or confusing. It can feel aligned, intentional, and human.

As we head into 2026, Sellout is doubling down on what we do best: helping independent organizers sell tickets directly, communicate clearly with fans, and stay in control of their events.

If you’re planning shows, festivals, or community gatherings this year and want a ticketing partner that actually understands independent events, we’d love to connect.

Join Sellout today or schedule a demo to see how simple, transparent ticketing can support your next event and everything you’re building beyond it.