Minneapolis-based Startup Empowers Performers and Venues with Simple, Affordable Box Office Platform
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – Feb. 24, 2025 — A new ticketing service is giving live performers and show presenters a fair, affordable, dead simple way to fill seats. Gobo is a Twin Cities-based startup dedicated to boosting the arts economy by reducing the cost and complexity of selling and buying tickets.
At a time when big industry players like Ticketmaster and Live Nation are under fire for excessive fees and unfair business practices at the top of the market, Gobo supports lesser-known independent artists and creators with better tools that allow them to protect their bottom lines while they build an audience. Gobo’s platform lets users avoid needless fees and subscriptions with free registration, fast payouts, and a low 5% commission on tickets sold.
“In this day and age, selling tickets should be the easiest part of putting on a show,” says Josh Cragun, a Minneapolis-based playwright, operator of the Crane Theater, and co-founder of Gobo. “If you’re working hard to make art or run an indie venue, the last thing you want to worry about are services that chip away at your valuable time and money. After 20 years of being frustrated with ticketing tools, I finally decided to do something about it.”
Since its initial pilot in 2023, Gobo has handled ticketing for entities such as In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre and intimate music events with artists like Jeremy Messersmith. Shows currently on sale through Gobo include the upcoming “Rage & Reset” concert series at Northeast Minneapolis’s emerging rock venue PILLLAR Forum, March 7-9. Gobo aims to expand its reach this year by partnering with creators and presenters across music, theater, dance, comedy, drag, literary events, and beyond — and by piloting a new software platform designed specifically for indie venues.
Cragun’s two co-founders at Gobo bring their own firsthand experience to the business of powering live events. Tate Leyba is a professional designer, self-described art nerd, and former athlete with the Minnesota RollerGirls. James Diers has worked as a tour manager, arts writer, and musician with bands including Halloween, Alaska. Their shared passion for creating and supporting live performance led to the formation
For more information about Gobo, visit https://www.gobo.show.
About Gobo
Gobo is an independent company made by and for creative folks who want selling tickets to be the easiest part of putting on a live show. Based in Minneapolis and built to serve customers across the U.S. and Canada, it was founded with a commitment to live performance and the livelihood of people who make it happen.