Venue Pulse vs Dice: Different Tools for Different Needs
Dice focuses on ticketing and discovery. Venue Pulse focuses on booking. Here's when to use each.
Venue Pulse vs Dice: Understanding the Difference
Dice and Venue Pulse serve different purposes in the live music ecosystem. Understanding when to use each—or both—can help you run your venue more efficiently.
They Solve Different Problems
Dice is primarily a ticketing platform with artist-friendly features. It helps you sell tickets and manage event discovery.
Venue Pulse is venue management software. It helps you book and manage shows before tickets go on sale.
Think of it this way:
- Venue Pulse helps you decide what shows to book
- Dice helps you sell tickets after shows are booked
What Dice Does Well
Dice has built a reputation for artist-friendly ticketing:
- No scalping - Tickets can't be resold above face value
- No fees for buyers - Venues/artists absorb fees
- Mobile-first - Tickets live in the app
- Discovery - Dice promotes events to its user base
- Data - Artists get fan data and insights
For venues, Dice offers:
- Ticketing infrastructure
- Event promotion to Dice users
- Some venue management features
- Analytics and reporting
What Venue Pulse Does
Venue Pulse focuses on the booking workflow:
- Calendar management - Track availability, holds, and confirmed dates
- Hold processing - Manage first holds, second holds, and challenges
- Booking requests - Receive and manage artist submissions
- Artist discovery - Find artists that fit your venue
- Communication - Keep all booking conversations organized
Learn how Venue Pulse works for venues
The Cost Comparison
Dice:
- No per-ticket fees for buyers
- Venues/artists pay fees (varies by agreement)
- Some venue features included
Venue Pulse:
- Free for venues
- No per-ticket fees
- No transaction costs
Can You Use Both?
Absolutely. Many venues use:
- Venue Pulse for booking management (free)
- Dice for ticketing (when appropriate)
This gives you professional booking tools without monthly software costs, plus Dice's ticketing infrastructure when you need it.
When to Use Dice
Dice makes sense when:
- You want to eliminate scalping
- Your audience uses the Dice app
- You want Dice's discovery features
- Artist-friendly ticketing matters to your bookings
When to Use Venue Pulse
Venue Pulse makes sense when:
- You need to manage your booking calendar
- You want to track holds and availability
- You receive booking requests from artists
- You want to discover new artists
- You need free venue management tools
The Bottom Line
Dice and Venue Pulse complement each other:
- Venue Pulse: Free booking and calendar management
- Dice: Artist-friendly ticketing when appropriate
Use Venue Pulse to manage your booking workflow, then use whatever ticketing platform makes sense for each show.