“I’m a standup comedian and theater producer, said RushTix founder and CEO Jill Bourque. So, I know first-hand how difficult it is for artists to find new audiences.” She explained how her idea for RushTix came about. “I do remember the exact moment I came up with the idea. It was a Thursday night in January of 2014, she said, at a small San Francisco comedy club and I was getting ready to go onstage. It was a great lineup of local comedians, but the room was only one-third full. I was painfully aware that it was going to be a rough night for all the comedians. For comedy especially, she said, you need a full house for the material to really work. If you don’t have the audience, then the jokes fall flat.”
“The dynamics of discovering new live performance has fundamentally changed over the past years,” noted Bourque. It used to be that if an arts presenter could get a few things right: great show, get reviews, and a little advertising, then they’d be set. Nowadays, it’s much more difficult, she said, as there are no central influencer channels.”
The mission of RushTix is to help venues fill seats and help folks discover great local artists.
That sounds all wonderful, but performers like Kathy Holly, Paco Romane and others in the San Francisco area were curious “what is the cost to the performer or to the venue?” Holly of the Uptown singers who has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years knows all too well the costs that a performer or venue must pay. “This service leads me to believe, said Holly, that artists who are self-producing shows wouldn’t get paid.”
Bourque insists, “they don’t have to do anything. We take care of everything and do a custom write-up and event page as well as Facebook posts and Tweets. We are trying to get these great unknown artists the exposure they deserve.”
And as for the venue? “There is no risk to the venue, said Bourque. We trade promotion for their tickets and do allocations. We’ve worked with over 500 presenters over the past year just in the SF Bay Area. We are offering over 50 new events a week through our service.”
When I asked about other costs and inflation over time, she responded, $8.99 is our Starter Pass to get folks out trying new things.” “We also have an Explorer Pass for $49/mo which includes two tickets and has more show options as well as concierge service,” Bourque said. “Our Patron Pass which is $99/mo and has premium events.” She noted that for those hungry for culture and live performance, at $8.99 for unlimited events, “that’s less than the price for a burrito.”
Chief Marketing Officer at RushTix, Nish Nadaraja, believes that this new service is outstanding and will only grow. “The company already has partnerships with A.C.T., SF Playhouse, Slim’s, Great American Music Hall, Cobb’s Comedy Club, and a variety of local community artists, with plans to expand to six other U.S. cities early next year.”
RushTix is the first unlimited pass to local arts and culture. Members pay one low monthly fee and get pairs of complimentary tickets. This allows arts enthusiasts to see more theater, concerts, and comedy with over 50 events each week. RushTix is a San-Francisco based startup with investments from Jason Calacanis’ Launch Fund and Social+Capital Partnership.
For more information visit the RushTix web site.
