Uber is aligning itself with music fans by offering rides to and from more than 60 Live Nation events at festivals, clubs and theaters this season, boosting its presence through another partnership to satisfy consumers’ mobile-driven demand for convenience.

The Live Nation alliance lets fans focus more on the music experience by having easy transportation methods and designated drop-off and pick-up locations, supported by an automatic address feature that pre-loads a concert address into the Uber app. The partnership builds on Live Nation’s integration of Uber’s service within its mobile application earlier this year as Uber’s profile rises in tandem with mobile’s growing acceptance.

“This is welcome because it likely will get more people who have spent three hours having a good time off the road,” said Jeff Hasen, CEO of Gotta Mobilize, a Seattle marketing consulting firm. “It’s hardly big news, however. Uber seemingly makes partnerships weekly and this is another play to expand its user base.

“Live Nation is creating designated drop-off or pickup areas which is nice, but nothing that will sell more tickets,” he said.

Journeying smoothly
New Uber users will get one free ride up to $20 off when getting to or from certain Live Nation events by entering the code LIVENATION.

Announcing the service on Uber’s blog.

Each participating venue and festival will supply a promotional code that can be applied by new users and redeemed for a free ride. Certain restrictions apply. The offer expires Dec. 31, 2016.

The first events of the marketing partnership start with the Sasquatch! music festival on May 22-25 and Electric Daisy Carnival New York on May 23-24.

Under the partnership, Uber services will be offered for 20 festivals throughout the year, 62 select Live Nation amphitheaters, clubs and theaters across the United States.

Festivals including the Electric Daisy Carnival, Faster Horses and Music Midtown will be part of the program.

For San Francisco-based Uber, the Live Nation alliance is another opportunity to grow through partnerships to satisfy consumers’ demand for convenience accelerated by their ability to get virtually anything they want, anytime, on mobile.

Last year, its partnership with Resy let consumers book a primetime table at a New York restaurant and then order and pay for taxi transportation via smartphone. The integration reduced to just five screen taps the process of making a reservation and arriving at the restaurant.

Hyatt Hotels recently began integrating its mobile application with the Uber ride-service app to make it easier for guests to get from their current location to their Hyatt hotel.

In another hotel-related deal, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Uber teamed up to offer the hotel brand’s Preferred Guest members the ability to earn more rewards points each time they took a ride with an Uber vehicle.

Reducing frustration
The Live Nation partnership addresses fans’ desire for a smooth journey to and from a concert. In addition to offering a convenient alternative to driving for riders to any event, Uber’s service also aims to reduce the frustration associated with traffic and other driving concerns.

Taking frustration out of concert-going.

“This is another example of mobile doing good,” Mr. Hasen said. “Even if it’s a small to moderate success, this initiative will reduce traffic and make the experience better for concert-goers.”

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York