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.

The Met researched existing CRM and ticketing systems, and investigated how to integrate them together to meet its needs, but concluded that no commercial product would be appropriate.

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

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.