Brown Paper Tickets
Brown Paper Tickets is an online event ticketing platform enabling organizers to create, manage, and sell tickets for live, online, and hybrid events globally, charging service fees to ticket buyers rather than organizers and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Events.com.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Brown Paper Tickets does
Brown Paper Tickets is an online event ticketing and registration platform founded in 2000 that enables organizers to create events, sell tickets, and manage attendee registration for live, online, and hybrid events. Functionally it is a self-serve PLG product: organizers independently configure event details, location, dates, pricing, seating, and delivery options through an event creation wizard, while ticket buyers transact directly on the website or mobile site (m.bpt.me). The platform supports 21-22 currencies with localized service fee structures, integrates with five payment gateways (Authorize.net, PayFlow, PayPros, USAePay, PayPal) in addition to a built-in credit card processor, and adds free event/delivery modes alongside paid options. The product surface also includes assigned seating, discount codes, last-minute discount automation, attendee questionnaires, sales/attendee reporting, and tracking integrations with Google Analytics and Meta Pixel.
The business model is transaction-based: Brown Paper Tickets charges the ticket buyer a service fee of $1.49 plus 6% of the ticket price (USD) and similar structures in other currencies, while organizers incur no listing fees; the optional Service Fee Rebate allows organizers using their own merchant accounts to retain a portion of the buyer-paid fee. The customer base is horizontal and long-tail, spanning concerts, comedy, theater, sports, film, classes, workshops, fundraisers, festivals, and free or donation-based events. Operational geographies include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and broader Europe, with a UK subsidiary (Brown Paper Tickets LTD) in Edinburgh supporting EEA compliance.
The company is the trade name for EDC Acquisition Corporation, a California corporation that, together with Brown Paper Tickets LTD, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Events.com. Brown Paper Tickets maintains PCI-DSS v3.2 Level 1 certification, GDPR compliance for EEA users, and a CCPA-specific Privacy Notice. As of the most recent data, the standalone brownpapertickets.com website is being retired with users directed to migrate to Events.com, indicating active consolidation of the product into the parent platform.
Brown Paper Tickets firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brown Paper Tickets
- Legal name
- EDC Acquisition Corporation
- Website
- https://brownpapertickets.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Brown Paper Tickets is an online event ticketing platform enabling organizers to create, manage, and sell tickets for live, online, and hybrid events globally, charging service fees to ticket buyers rather than organizers and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Events.com.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brown Paper Tickets industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Primary Ticketing Platforms & Box Office Systems (MPAGAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps) (BPAFAGAL), Event Marketing, Ticketing & Registration Management (HSACAAAM), Ticketing Platforms (Paid Events, Seat Maps, Access Control) (THAHAFAC)
Keywords
Where Brown Paper Tickets is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Brown Paper Tickets business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ticket Buyer Service Fees: Brown Paper Tickets charges ticket buyers a service fee per ticket sold. For USD transactions, this is $1.49 fixed plus 6% of the ticket price. Other currencies have their own fixed + percentage fees (e.g., CA$1.99 + 6%, £0.99 + 6%, €0.99 + 6%). These fees are paid by buyers, not event organizers. Free events and donations do not incur service fees.
- Delivery Fees: Most delivery methods are free (Print-at-Home, Mobile Tickets, Will-Call, 1st Class Mail, UK Royal Mail). Some premium delivery options carry additional charges such as Priority Mail ($9.70-$64.00 depending on location) and Express Mail ($27.85-$59.00).
- Additional Services: Additional fees apply for pre-printed physical tickets ($0.10 each + delivery), physical tickets for free events ($1.49 each), cancelled events ($1.49 per ticket), and seating chart changes after tickets have been sold ($30.00 + $1.49 per ticket).
- Affiliate Payments: Affiliates earn $0.10 per will-call or print-at-home ticket sold through their referral links.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Ticket Buyer Fee (USD) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Events |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Delivery Methods |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Brown Paper Tickets product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brown Paper Tickets provides an online event ticketing and registration platform that enables event organizers to create, manage, and sell tickets for in-person, online, and hybrid events at no listing cost. The platform integrates multiple payment processors, supports 22 currencies and multiple ticket delivery methods (print-at-home, mobile, will-call, mail), and monetizes via buyer-paid service fees per ticket.
Product overview
Brown Paper Tickets is a fair-trade event ticketing and registration platform that enables event organizers to create, manage, and sell tickets for in-person, online, and hybrid events. The core platform provides comprehensive event creation tools including event details management, location setup, date and pricing configuration, and payment processing. The platform integrates multiple payment processors (Authorize.net, PayFlow, PayPros, USAePay, PayPal) alongside its own built-in credit card processing service. Event organizers can utilize various ticket delivery methods (print-at-home, mobile, will-call, mail), seating chart creation, discount codes, and last-minute discount automation. The platform supports 21 currencies and includes event discovery/browse functionality for attendees. Additional features include attendee questionnaires, analytics and reporting tools, social media integration, Google Analytics and Meta Pixel tracking, and a free promotional support service. The platform also offers a Developer account type with API access for building applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Brown Paper Tickets
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Brown Paper Tickets technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature5 records
Brown Paper Tickets partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Events.com (Parent Company)coreEvents.com is the parent company of EDC Acquisition Corporation dba Brown Paper Tickets. The Brown Paper Tickets website is being retired with users redirected to events.com/bpt/. The privacy policy and legal documentation identify this parent-subsidiary relationship.
- Authorize.netcoreThird-party credit card payment gateway integration allowing event organizers to use their own merchant accounts for processing ticket sales.
- PayPalcorePayPal integration allows event organizers to collect payments directly to their PayPal accounts. Ticket buyers can pay via PayPal. PayPal automatically remits service fees back to Brown Paper Tickets.
- PayFlow (PayPal)coreThird-party credit card payment gateway integration supporting event organizers' own merchant account processing.
- USAePaycoreThird-party credit card payment gateway integration supporting event organizers' own merchant account processing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Brown Paper Tickets competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TryBooking: TryBooking is a self-serve ticketing platform serving community events, schools, and SMB organizers across multiple countries. Comparable to BPT in low-cost organizer pricing, free events support, and international reach.
- Universe (by Ticketmaster): Universe was a self-serve primary ticketing platform for independent event organizers acquired by Ticketmaster. It is closely comparable to BPT in target customer (SMB/independent organizers), PLG model, and feature set.
- Eventbrite: Eventbrite is a direct self-serve ticketing platform for SMB event organizers with a similar PLG motion, buyer-pays or organizer-pays fee structure, and global multi-currency reach. BPT is most often benchmarked against Eventbrite in independent-organizer segments.
- TicketWeb: TicketWeb is Live Nation's self-serve ticketing platform aimed at independent venues and promoters. It directly mirrors BPT's SMB/independent-organizer positioning with PLG onboarding and digital ticketing.
Others
- Events.com: Events.com is the parent company of BPT and an event management platform of its own. It is a relevant adjacent/integrated peer given the ongoing migration of BPT users onto the Events.com platform.
Broad incumbents
- AXS (AEG): AXS is a primary ticketing platform owned by AEG, focused on mid-to-large venues and sports. It overlaps with BPT in offering multi-currency, assigned seating, and digital ticketing, but targets higher-tier events.
- Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment): Ticketmaster is the dominant primary ticketing incumbent for large venues and major tours. While BPT serves a different SMB/independent-organizer niche, both operate primary ticketing platforms with similar core functionality (seating, payment processing, multi-channel delivery).
- SeatGeek: SeatGeek operates both a primary ticketing platform for venues and a secondary marketplace. Comparable to BPT in primary-ticketing infrastructure and analytics capabilities, though SeatGeek competes at a larger venue tier and has stronger sports and mobile app positioning.
- Eventim: Eventim is a major European primary ticketing and live entertainment platform, overlapping with BPT's European footprint and multi-currency capabilities. It is a relevant incumbent peer given BPT's UK subsidiary and EU operations.
Emerging players
- Eventbrite Universe / Pretix / Tito: tito is a self-serve ticketing platform targeting independent and SMB event organizers with a transparent pricing model. Comparable to BPT in target segment and feature set, though smaller in scale and geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brown Paper Tickets social profiles
Digital presenceBrown Paper Tickets compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Brown Paper Tickets financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brown Paper Tickets leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Brown Paper Tickets subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Brown Paper Tickets funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brown Paper Tickets M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brown Paper Tickets
What does Brown Paper Tickets do?
Brown Paper Tickets provides an online event ticketing and registration platform that enables event organizers to create, manage, and sell tickets for in-person, online, and hybrid events at no listing cost. The platform integrates multiple payment processors, supports 22 currencies and multiple ticket delivery methods (print-at-home, mobile, will-call, mail), and monetizes via buyer-paid service fees per ticket.
Is Brown Paper Tickets a public or private company?
Brown Paper Tickets is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Brown Paper Tickets founded?
Brown Paper Tickets was founded in 2000. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Brown Paper Tickets based?
Brown Paper Tickets is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brown Paper Tickets make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Buyer Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are delivery Fees, additional Services and affiliate Payments.
Who are Brown Paper Tickets's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TryBooking, Universe (by Ticketmaster), Eventbrite and TicketWeb. Events.com is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are AXS (AEG), Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment), SeatGeek and Eventim. Eventbrite Universe / Pretix / Tito is listed as an emerging player.
Does Brown Paper Tickets have an API?
Yes. Brown Paper Tickets offers an API for developers to create applications. A developer account type is mentioned on the join page, indicating API access is available. However, no detailed API documentation, documentation URL, or technical specifications (such as REST, GraphQL, authentication method, rate limits, or versioning) were found in the provided source materials.
What industry is Brown Paper Tickets in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAJAA, Primary Ticketing Platforms & Box Office Systems, with a secondary code of BPAFAGAL, Ticketing, Registration & Event Technology (Badging, Apps). Its NAICS code is 711320 and its SIC code is 7900.