In February 2026, Etix’s Chief Product Officer Chris Battaglino and Director of Sales for Music Venues Michael Reklis joined Matt Ford on Prism.fm‘s The Live Music Industry Podcast for a candid chat exploring what it takes to provide scalable, successful ticketing in today’s shifting live event landscape, plus the impact of dynamic pricing, AI, ticket resale, and more. So pop in some earbuds, sit back, and enjoy watching and reading more below.
Interview transcript abridged for length.
Matt Ford: Michael, Chris, thank you so much for coming on. Really appreciate it. Good to see you, man.
Michael Reklis: Absolutely.
Matt Ford: Well, Michael and Chris both play important roles over at Etix. I was at the Etix Blast Conference, which was always so fun but also really informational, and I was surprised by the things you guys have going on. We also had some very important conversations around the state of the industry, which is in a really curious place right now. So I’m grateful to have you both on the podcast to talk about what’s going on with Etix, your vantage points on the economy, and all those topics.
Why don’t we start with introductions? Who are you both, what were you doing before Etix, and what do you do now?
introductions
Michael Reklis: Yeah, so I’m Michael Reklis. My official title at Etix is Director of Sales, with a specialty in music venues. Before Etix, I was a concert promoter in North Carolina. I worked as many different jobs in the music industry as I could — being an assistant at a booking agency, working at a venue, running my own promotions company, interning at a label, basically anything I could get my hands on.
About 18 years ago, I started working at Etix, which was supposed to be a two- or three-year gig just to understand the ticketing industry. But here I am. Now, I focus on helping music venues, performing arts centers, and really anyone selling tickets choose Etix over competitors. Along the way, I also work closely with Chris and the product team, helping move the product forward and figure out what our clients need. That’s my elevator pitch.
Matt Ford: Love it. How about you, Chris?
Chris Battaglino: Thanks, Reklis. That was a great introduction. I’m Chris Battaglino, and I run the product team here at Etix. Unlike Reklis, I didn’t have a long background in the industry before joining, but after about 13 years, I’m slowly figuring it out. Like Reklis, I didn’t expect to be here this long, but once the claws get in, it’s hard to get out.
We’ve got a great team, we have a lot of fun, and the industry always offers new opportunities to build exciting things and be part of something meaningful.
Company Scale & Operations
Matt: What’s the scope and scale of Etix? Whatever numbers you can share — tickets sold, customer base, number of venues, fairs, museums, etc.
Michael: We’re based in North Carolina, with several offices in the U.S., plus offices in China, Japan, and Germany. China is mainly a development office that works closely with Chris’s team. Japan and Germany handle Asian and European operations.
In 2025, we sold over 100 million tickets. That’s ballpark — we’re not submitting to an official census here.
Matt: That’s incredible. The scale of what you’re doing is really impressive. How do you balance work across fairs, venues, and other verticals?
Chris: Honestly, the initiative is always on everything, all the time. Years ago, things felt more cyclical — fair season, busy season, slow season. Now there’s no slow season. Everything is always busy.
One example is kiosks. We originally built freestanding ticket kiosks for casinos about six years ago. We thought it would be a niche product, but music venues loved them. Now they’re in clubs and performing arts centers all over the country.
Product Innovation & Marketing
Matt: How does marketing fit into this strategy?
Michael: We have a marketing agency arm called Rockhouse Partners, which started as a separate company and was acquired by Etix in 2011. Now it functions as Etix’s in-house marketing agency, working exclusively for Etix clients. They handle digital ads and promotions across music venues, festivals, fairs, museums — basically everything.
Whether you’re selling museum tickets or EDM festivals, you’re using the same platforms: Google, Meta, TikTok, and so on.
Octave point of sale
Matt: Tell me about Octave — your point-of-sale system.
Chris: We started beta testing Octave in summer 2024. We now have double-digit clients using it regularly, plus festivals and one-off events. Feedback has been great.
It handles food, beverage, merch — pretty much anything venues want to sell. Having clients we already trust willing to test new features has been huge. Their feedback helps us iterate quickly.
Secondary Market & Seat Relay
Matt: Let’s talk about secondary ticketing. What does Etix offer here?
Chris: We built Seat Relay because venues kept telling us they were missing revenue, data, and control over customer experience. About 24 months ago, we started developing an integrated secondary marketplace.
Venues can enable it event-by-event. Customers can join waitlists for sold-out shows, and later this year, we’re launching peer-to-peer resale. That means tickets are transferred safely, original barcodes are invalidated, and new barcodes are issued, eliminating fraud.
Michael: Our philosophy is to give venues control. Some want secondary sales turned off entirely. Others want to embrace it. We want to support both approaches.
All-In Pricing
Matt: What are you seeing with all-in ticket pricing?
Michael: Historically, Ticketmaster tried all-in pricing in 2011 after EU regulations, and it killed their sales in the U.S., so they rolled it back. But now that everyone has to do it, the playing field is level.
Our data shows most venues see similar or slightly higher sales after switching. Anecdotally, though, consumers still react strongly to upfront pricing.
Chris: Clarity is key. We’ve redesigned checkout flows to clearly communicate all-in pricing so customers understand exactly what they’re paying.
Economy & Live Entertainment
Matt: What are you seeing in terms of the economy and its impact on live events?
Michael: People are being more thoughtful with their spending. Venues need to price carefully — tickets, concessions, everything. Costs are up across the board, from labor to supplies.
Chris: We see a tale of two cities. Large venues and arenas are thriving. PACs and mid-sized venues are fairly resilient. But small clubs, especially 100–400 cap rooms, are hurting. Inflation, interest rates, and reduced disposable income are all factors.
Michael: That said, the industry moves in cycles. When you’re on the downside, it usually means you’re closer to the upswing. Hopefully 2026 brings that rebound.
AI & The Future of Ticketing
Matt: How is AI changing your thinking?
Chris: AI is absolutely here to stay. We’re already seeing chat-based ticket buying, smart search, automated customer service, and fraud detection. I see a future where customers simply say, “Buy me the same seats as last time,” and the transaction happens instantly.
Michael: Security is the biggest challenge. AI makes life easier for good actors, but it also empowers fraud and scalping. Our responsibility is to stay ahead of that — protecting venues, fans, and payment systems.
Closing
Matt: This was incredibly informative. I really appreciate your time, insights, and partnership.
Michael: Thanks for having us.
Chris: Yeah, thanks, Matt.
Matt: Here’s to a great 2026 — optimism all around.
