Online ticketing platform ShowTix4U is teaming with Music Theatre International and Broadway Media Distribution to create a new streaming service targeting arts organizations struggling to present theatrical shows amid the current pandemic.
The partnership aims to help schools and arts organizations put on shows to stream while mass gatherings are discouraged. Music Theatre International will provide a list of show licenses that users can request to then present via video stream and sell tickets for on the all-in-one platform. Theater staff won’t need to worry about handling royalties from ticket sales, as they will automatically be distributed to the proper rights holders. The service is said to launch in the U.S. and Canada within the next six weeks.
“While streaming will never be a replacement for the live event experience, this platform is a valuable tool for introducing the arts to an expanded audience,” ShowTix4U founder Steel Wallis said in a statement obtained by Playbill.
Broadway Media Distribution will provide the necessary technology to hold productions, including an array of streaming equipment, software and training. The platform is not limited to only theatrical shows either, but can be used for conferences, workshops and other special events.
“We built Broadway Media to break down barriers to the performing arts, and it’s in this spirit that we make audience enjoyment of the arts easier than ever, particularly in these trying times,” said company president Quentin Sanford.
