Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce are just two of many Australian festivals thrown into chaos after US-based ticketing platform Lyte suddenly went offline.
The website shut down without warning, leaving concert promoters out of pocket for thousands of dollars worth of tickets sold on the platform, reported Billboard on Tuesday.
Lyte founder and chief executive Ant Taylor has since released a statement saying he has resigned and an ’emergency board’ is working to pay out refunds.
The company has reportedly gone bankrupt and laid off all its staff while ticket holders have been left in the dark.
Organisers from Rabbits Eat Lettuce have said attempts to contact Lyte about the tickets recently sold on the platform have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, Taylor said ’emergency board/creditors effort [is] underway’ to find a buyer who will repay ticket holders and promotors affected by the sudden closure.
The Lyte website currently says: ‘We will be right back. Our website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. We should be back shortly.’
The Facebook and X pages held by the business have been closed, with their Instagram showing their last post was made on September 4.
Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce are just two of many Australian festivals thrown into chaos after ticketing platform Lyte suddenly disappeared offline. Pictured: Festival crowd
Comments on that final post, which promotes a new ‘group sales’ feature on the website, show customers scrambling to find answers about their purchased tickets.
‘How much longer will your site be doing maintenance? Have been trying to look at my pending request for days,’ one person wrote.
‘When will your site be back up? I have been waiting for help for days and your customer service has stopped responding. Concerning,’ another commented.
The website (pictured) shut down without warning, leaving concert promoters unpaid for thousands of dollars in tickets sold on the platform, reported Billboard on Tuesday
Lyte founder and chief executive Ant Taylor (pictured) has since released a statement saying he has resigned and an ’emergency board’ is working to pay out refunds and revenue
One person said they have been in contact with festival organisers at Lost Lands who informed them ‘the platform Lyte is closed’.
A professional breakdancer who goes by the name Crazy Legs also commented on the post saying he had yet to receive any answers.
‘I’m throwing an event on Oct 12 and have not gotten one response about the current situation. Even the CEO has left the company,’ he said.
In an ironic twist, Lyte’s bio still reads: ‘The demand-first, end-to-end ticketing solution that delivers full events and happy fans. #DemandMore.’
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the company for comment.
Comments on Lyte’s final Instagram post, which promotes a new ‘group sales’ feature on the website, show customers scrambling to find answers about their purchased tickets
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk