Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce are just two of the many Australian festivals thrown into chaos after US ticketing platform Lyte suddenly went offline.
The website was shut down without warning, causing concert promoters to lose thousands of dollars in tickets sold through the platform, according to reports Billboard on tuesday.
Ant Taylor, founder and CEO of Lyte, has since released a statement saying he has stepped down and that an “emergency board” is working to pay out refunds.
The company is said to have gone bankrupt and laid off all its staff, leaving ticket buyers in the dark.
Organizers of Rabbits Eat Lettuce have stated that attempts to contact Lyte regarding tickets recently sold through the platform have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, Taylor said there is “a contingency plan for the board and creditors” [is] ‘on the way’ to find a buyer who will refund ticket buyers and promoters affected by the sudden closure.
The Lyte website currently says, “We’ll be right back. Our website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. We should be back shortly.”
The company’s Facebook and X pages have been shut down. Their Instagram pages show their last post as being on September 4.
Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce are just two of many Australian festivals thrown into chaos after ticketing platform Lyte suddenly went offline. Pictured: Festival crowd
Comments on the latest post, which promotes a new ‘group sales’ feature on the website, show customers desperately seeking answers to questions about the tickets they purchased.
“How long will your site be under maintenance? I’ve been trying to look at my pending request for days,” one person wrote.
‘When will your site be back online? I’ve been waiting for help for days and your customer service is not responding. Regarding,’ another commented.
The website (pictured) was shut down without warning, leaving concert promoters without payment for thousands of dollars worth of tickets sold through the platform, Billboard reported Tuesday.
Lyte founder and CEO Ant Taylor (pictured) has since released a statement saying he has stepped down and that an “emergency board” is working to pay out refunds and revenue
One person said he had been in contact with Lost Lands festival organizers, who had informed him that “the Lyte platform has been closed.”
A professional breakdancer known as Crazy Legs also responded to the post, saying he had not yet received a response.
“I am organizing an event on October 12 and have not received any response about the current situation. Even the CEO has left the company,” he said.
Ironically, Lyte’s bio still reads: “The demand-first, end-to-end ticketing solution that delivers full events and delights fans. #DemandMore.”
Ny Breaking Australia has reached out to the company for comment.
Comments on Lyte’s latest Instagram post promoting a new ‘group sales’ feature on the website show customers scrambling to find answers to their purchased tickets