How fans hear about shows: Bandsintown, Seated, Laylo and calendars

The short answer

Bandsintown notifies an artist's followers when a show is published, and venues on its premium plan get a series of fan alerts that runs from the announcement to reminders before the show. Seated texts fans when an artist they follow announces a show nearby. Laylo messages the fans who signed up for a drop as soon as it goes live. A calendar works alongside all of them, keeping the show on the fan's phone from the day it's added until the night itself.

How does Bandsintown tell fans about a show?

Fans follow artists on Bandsintown, and the app's Explore tab shows which of them have shows nearby. When an artist publishes a show with Notify My Followers switched on, followers get a notification. Venues on Bandsintown's premium plan get automated fan alerts: a Just Announced alert to followers of the artists on the bill within 75 miles, an On Sale Now alert, and then a run of reminders that ends the day before the show.

A Bandsintown show with no ticket link yet displays a Set Reminder button, and fans who tap it get an email and an in-app notification when the link goes up. Artists can switch on an On-Sale Notification for their followers too. Bandsintown sends shows to Google Search as well, where it says new events and changes appear within 30 hours.

Shows a fan taps Set Reminder on go into My Upcoming Events in the Bandsintown app. With Calendar Sync switched on, Bandsintown adds them to the phone's default calendar as well.

How does Seated reach fans?

Seated works with artists on presales and tour landing pages. Fans who follow an artist there get a text when that artist announces a show near them, and Seated says there's no app to install. On a tour page, a fan can set a reminder for one date. About 15 minutes before the on-sale, Seated texts and emails them the password and the link.

Artists can also have Seated text presale codes to fans right before a presale begins. A sold-out show can carry a waitlist, and fans on it get an alert whenever a new show is announced in that city.

How does Laylo reach fans?

Laylo calls itself “the drop platform for artists, live events, festivals, and creators.” Fans sign up for a drop in one click and get notified when it goes live. For a tour, they pick their city and hear when tickets go on sale there. They can also text “RSVP” or a keyword to an artist's number to join the list.

LANY used Laylo to announce a tour. Fans replied “RSVP” to an Instagram story, and on announcement day they got a DM with the presale link. Bandsintown and Laylo connect, too: Bandsintown's help describes a Laylo integration that sends Laylo the fans who opt in through Bandsintown's sign-up tools, such as the widget on an artist's website.

Where does a calendar fit?

Each alert above goes out at one moment, such as the announcement or the on-sale. A calendar entry sits on the show's date from the day it's added, with the ticket link and the phone's own alert before doors.

	How a fan signs up	What they get	When it arrives
Bandsintown	Follows the artist, or taps Set Reminder on a show	Notifications and emails	When a show is published and when tickets go on sale, plus reminders before the show from premium venues
Seated	Follows the artist, or sets a reminder on a tour page	Texts and emails	When a show is announced nearby, and about 15 minutes before an on-sale
Laylo	Signs up for a drop by link or by keyword	Texts, emails or Instagram DMs	When the drop goes live, or when tickets go on sale in their city
A calendar	Subscribes once, or connects Google or Microsoft	The show on its day, with the ticket link and the phone's alert	From the day it's added until the show

A show gets into a fan's calendar in one of four ways. Bandsintown's Calendar Sync adds the shows a fan has set reminders for. An “Add to calendar” button hands over a copy of one show, and that copy keeps the old details if the show moves. Subscribing brings every date and picks up changes when the fan's app next checks, which for Google Calendar is every 12 to 24 hours by AddEvent's estimate. With a connected calendar, changes land within moments. Our guide to “Add to calendar” buttons and subscriptions compares the last three.

Where TheyCal fits

We make TheyCal, and it fills the calendar row of that table. Fans follow a band once, from its join page or a QR code at the show, then connect Google or Microsoft or take a private calendar link for Apple Calendar and other apps. Shows the band adds land in their calendar with the ticket link, and TheyCal counts the taps on it. When a show moves or is cancelled, connected calendars change within moments. Finding new fans and selling tickets stays with the tools above. Our guide on making sure fans don't miss your shows puts the pieces together for a band.

Common questions

Does Bandsintown add shows to my calendar?

The Bandsintown app's Calendar Sync adds the shows in your My Upcoming Events to your phone's default calendar once you turn it on.

Why didn't I get a Bandsintown alert for a show near me?

The artist decides whether a show notifies followers when it's published on Bandsintown, so some shows go up without an alert.

Do bands need all of these?

Each one reaches fans at a different moment, and you can run them side by side. Bandsintown passes sign-ups to Laylo through its integration, and a calendar sits next to any of them.

Is a calendar link enough for fans on Google Calendar?

AddEvent, which hosts subscription calendars, puts Google Calendar's checks at every 12 to 24 hours. When a set time moves on the day of the show, a connected calendar gets the change there first. Our guide on why a subscribed calendar isn't updating has each app's timing.