DigiTour Media, a startup that produces concerts and events featuring YouTube stars, has received funding from strategic investors Ryan Seacrest and Advance Publications, parent company of Condé Nast.
Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. L.A.-based DigiTour, founded in 2010, stages events with YouTube performers featuring pop, alternative rock and hip-hop artists and bands, as well as comedians. In 2014, the company expects nearly 100,000 fans to attend DigiTour events in Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, as well as London and Toronto.
“We’re honored and excited for our strategic partnership with such a dynamic and visionary entrepreneur and one of the world’s leading media companies,” DigiTour co-founders Meridith Valiando Rojas and Chris Rojas said in a statement. “We’re confident that Ryan and Advance will help us accelerate our mission of bringing the next-generation of talent to a mass audience.”
Seacrest commented, “I’m a huge believer in the next generation of talent that is burgeoning from YouTube, Vine and other social platforms, and DigiTour has successfully translated these popular small screen experiences into live, large-scale events that are fun, accessible and brilliantly authentic.”
Some popular YouTube and Vine talent that have participated in DigiTour concerts or events include Tyler Oakley (with 4.37 million YouTube subscribers), Kingsley (2.83 million), Cimorelli (2.62 million), Troye Sivan (2 million), O2L (1.83 million) and Ryan Beatty (317,000).
“DigiTour cleverly mixes the YouTube creator ecosystem with the excitement of live events and the value of Generation Z to experiential marketers,” said Andrew Siegel, Advance Publications’ head of strategy and corporate development.
DigiTour sponsors have included YouTube, Intel, Hasbro, Instagram, Sony, Gibson and DreamWorks Animation’s AwesomenessTV.
Seacrest, in addition to his gigs on radio and as host of Fox’s “American Idol,” is an entrepreneur who has invested in media and entertainment companies through his investment arm, Seacrest Global Group. Seacrest acquired marketing-services company Civic Entertainment Group in 2012 and also owns stakes in Pinterest, FlightCar and Mobile System Security (MSS). He also has made independent investments in Mark Cuban’s AXS TV cable network and smartphone keyboard startup Typo Products.
