Tessitura was initially developed by the Metropolitan Opera for its internal use, and integrates ticketing, fundraising, and customer relationship management functions.

[6] In the mid-1990s, the Metropolitan Opera sought a new solution for its marketing, fundraising, and ticket sales to replace its existing collection of disparate systems.

The search for a new ticketing system was part of a broader program of reorganization and technical improvement, begun in 1990 by general manager Joseph Volpe.

By early 2000, the Met had licensed Tessitura to the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Santa Fe Opera.

With the growing popularity of web ticket sales, which represented 60-90% of the ROH's business in 2013, its infrastructure was under stress during peak periods.

Demand increased by a factor of 30 during certain peak periods, and customers faced system crashes and hours-long waits to purchase tickets.

[9] Since the software's launch, Tessitura has targeted additional markets, including museums and zoos, which operate on a similar model of ticket sales and donations.