RushTix: Netflix-Style Subscriptions Fill Empty Theater Seats

Introduction

Every night theaters face the same issue: empty seats. Jill Bourque knew that 35% of tickets go unsold on average. She decided to turn that waste into an opportunity by launching RushTix, a subscription service built on WooCommerce.

Identifying the gap

Ticket prices are fixed and rarely adjust when a show is about to start. That inflexibility leads venues to slash prices at the last moment, but discount signals quality issues to paying customers. Jill’s idea was to decouple the discount from the venue and keep brands intact while still offering a budget-friendly option.

Creating a lean MVP

With a $500 budget, Jill used WordPress, Bluehost and WooCommerce to launch a basic storefront. She installed Woo Subscriptions and the free PayPal Standard gateway. The site was simple, the email address was basic, but the core subscription flow was functional. That allowed her to test demand before bringing on partners.

• WordPress setup via Bluehost
• WooCommerce and Woo Subscriptions
• PayPal Standard for payments
• Basic theme to reduce costs

Personalizing the experience

While the first version of RushTix handled ticket distribution, Jill knew personalization would set her service apart. She gathered preferences through an onboarding survey and tracked attendance. That data informed manual recommendations at first. Subscribers received weekly emails with curated event picks. The feedback loop gave Jill—and later her team—data on what shows resonated.

Balancing discount and quality

Traditional last-minute discount sites often erode trust in a venue’s full-price tickets. RushTix maintains a fixed subscription fee, so customers never associate a discount with a lower quality performance. That model required convincing venues that they could release unsold seats exclusively to subscribers without disrupting their main ticket pricing strategy. In practice, that protected venue reputations and gave subscribers access to a range of performances that would otherwise go unseen.

Partner outreach and growth

Jill reached out directly to theaters and event organizers, highlighting how RushTix would help fill last-minute seats. Within months she signed up over 400 arts and culture organizations. Venues saw ticket sales improve without public discounting, and Jill had a steadily growing pool of events to offer her subscribers.

Member onboarding and retention

Onboarding became a top priority once the subscription engine was running. Jill realized that early experiences shaped long-term retention. The team manually curated tickets for each member based on preferences and ensured new subscribers got access to shows in their first month. That hands-on approach helped maintain a 75% retention rate in year one.

Scaling the model

After validating the concept, RushTix joined an incubator and secured seed funding from Silicon Valley angels. The brand integrated WooCommerce Memberships to refine access control and added analytics tools to track customer behavior. Today RushTix sees 20-30% month-over-month growth in recurring revenue and plans to expand from San Francisco into New York, Los Angeles and beyond.

Technology and integrations

Jill relied on a handful of tools to keep operations lean. WooCommerce handled product listings and subscription billings. Woo Subscriptions kept track of member plans, while the PayPal Standard gateway simplified payments. As the team grew, they evaluated adding WooCommerce Memberships to control access and explored Stripe for a smoother checkout. Google Analytics tracked site performance, and Mailchimp ran email campaigns to both potential members and venue partners.

Preparing for launch in new cities

Having built processes that work in San Francisco, RushTix developed a playbook for new markets. The steps include: identifying top venues, piloting with 10 partner organizations, securing an influencer in each city, and setting up targeted online ads. Jill plans to adapt pricing based on local ticket market conditions, but the core subscription model remains the same.

Future outlook

Looking ahead, RushTix aims to automate recommendations, integrate mobile ticket delivery and build in-app features. They also want to open a marketplace for event organizers to offer special experiences exclusively to members. The team keeps that roadmap flexible, ready to refine based on data and member feedback.

Lessons learned

• Start with a focused niche and obvious pain point.
• Keep initial costs low to validate demand quickly.
• Direct outreach can build strong partner relationships.
• Prioritize quick activation to lock in subscribers.
• manual curation can guide product improvements.
• Lean on existing tools rather than building from scratch.