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Ticket Evolution expects 'few hundred brokers' to use auto upload tool at launch

By Alfred Branch Jr.

Broker-owned ticket exchange Ticket Evolution is launching its auto upload tool this week, and while company officials expect hundreds of brokers to participate, not all competing exchanges are currently supported.

StubHub and Razorgator are among the exchanges that will be supported by the Ticket Evolution auto uploader, but TicketNetwork is not in the group of exchanges where brokers will be able to quickly list inventory using the tool.

Earlier in the year, the creators of Ticket Evolution, Golden Tickets owners Ram Silverman and Steve Parry, pulled their ticket inventory from TicketNetwork following a percentage fee dispute, which led the pair, and former National Events Company executive Drew Gainor, to launch the start-up exchange. At the time of the dispute, Silverman wrote an angry email to fellow brokers blasting TicketNetwork for increasing its fee percentages, which occurred after TicketNetwork, in part, determined that Golden Tickets' inventory was not turning over at an acceptable rate for the amount of tickets the company was posting.

Gainor told TicketNews today, August 30, that the decision not to include TicketNetwork in the auto uploader launch had nothing to do with any previous dispute, and that he hopes to add TicketNetwork within the next week or so, once some file transfer protocol (FTP) issues are sorted out.

"I want to include TicketNetwork, and I am hoping to have them in the next update (next week)," Gainor said, adding that he intends to contact TicketNetwork this week about FTP issues. TicketNetwork made modifications to its FTP system earlier in the year to improve inbound inventory efficiency. "Ticket Evolution has no issues with TicketNetwork, and I would like to work with them whenever possible. [Founder and CEO] Don [Vaccaro] and I go back 8 years. As soon as I can get some FTP info from them they will have more frequent uploads from non-POS [point of sale] brokers."

Gainor announced the auto uploader launch in a recent post on the company's Web site, which includes a video of how to use it, and he told TicketNews that he expects "to have a few hundred brokers using the auto-upload tool this week," but he did not offer a specific number. The other exchanges being supported at launch are StubHub-owned Ticket Technology, UK-based viagogo and Vivid Seats. TicketsNow is expected to be added soon.

The auto-upload tool is designed to allow brokers to list ticket inventory on multiple exchanges at once, which could mean that the company is potentially helping other exchanges fulfill faster, and possibly at the expense of Ticket Evolution. Asked whether this was a concern, Gainor said no.

"Ticket Evolution is interested more in helping brokers and the industry as a whole, which will only help the consumer experience that Ticket Network has helped raise the bar for," he said. Brokers who invested in the company will be the first to use the product, followed by other brokers. "We would like data updated to all exchanges as much as possible to cut down on duplicate sales and unsatisfied customers. This is part of our overall goal with Ticket Evolution."

Several companies offer similar uploader products for exchanges such as eBay and StubHub, but Gainor believes the Ticket Evolution uploader is unique.

"It appears that there really is not a solution out there to make it easier to get inventory right off to other exchanges. You still need a POS to export your inventory out of unless you manually manage your inventory in a spreadsheet, then you can continue to do that as well," he said. "We just simplify the process of getting the data to each separate exchange, as most brokers upload to many different exchanges."

TicketNetwork is the parent company of TicketNews.

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

Hundreds of brokers????? How are they supposed to get Hundreds of brokers using the product when HUNDREDS didn't even invest into Ticket Evolution. Secondly, do they have a staff that can install, configure and set up roughly 60 brokers a day to get to the "Hundreds" they claim to have use the upload tool?

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

>> Gainor believes the Ticket Evolution uploader is unique.

What a joke, I'm already using a tool by RocketPoster.com (a competitor to ListEasy) who already offers a free AutoUploader to multiple marketplaces. Get in the back of the line Ram.

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

Guess what they are offering the uploader free! You didnt have to invest! Guess you cant read more than a few sentences its all in the story.

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

I read well, you obviously have a few challanges. Its no secret that ticket evolution missed their investment mark grossly, which is why they are offering this tool for free to try to get others to invest in their second offering coming up in september. In addition, they only have two or three people on staff and each uploader takes roughly 1hr to install. Do the math, its nearly impossible for them to get HUNDREDS on board in one week.

deepsand's picture
deepsand (not verified)

"Its no secret that ticket evolution missed their investment mark grossly ... "

Setting aside that it's here "it's" rather that "its," presumably you're able to substantiate this claim, and will provide such momentarily.

"... which is why they are offering this tool for free to try to get others to invest in their second offering coming up in september."

Ditto.

"... each uploader takes roughly 1hr to install."

This, from experience? Or, mere unfounded speculation.

FACT: The services of TE are NOT LIMITED TO INVESTORS.

FACT: Anyone familiar with the technology knows that installing an uploader is elementary.

While each is entitled to his own opinion, none is entitled to his own "facts."

"Better to remain silent, and be thought the fool, than to speak and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

It hardly takes an hour. Mine was configured and up and running in less than 15 minutes. Even if only one person is doing it, you would only need 3 days to get into the "hundreds"

CDN Broker's picture
CDN Broker (not verified)

I don't list on too many exchanges, so I'm not too sure about the other tools out there, but the idea of this one automatically recognizing when you have changed your inventory and then taking care of the export/upload functions for you appears to be a bit unique, and certainly makes my life easier. Anyway, it's pretty obvious that some people on this board are only here to make negative comments and statements, so they will be impossible to sway over from "the dark side"... :)

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

File uploaders like this will be obsolete very soon....rumor has it the important broker exchanges will be moving data back and forth without the need of antiquated FTP software like this.

deepsand's picture
deepsand (not verified)

The FTP PROTOCOL - not software - is specifically designed for the efficient direct transmission of data files.

Have you a better protocol?

As for uploaders, data cannot move themselves absent a control program. Whether such is or is not called an "uploader" is functionally immaterial.

Unless you are an experienced IT person, pay no mind to such rumors.

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

There are other ways to move data. Ever hear of database replication? No need to create files and FTP, that's so 2000. We shall see.

deepsand's picture
deepsand (not verified)

DB replication is designed for synchronizing ENTIRE DATABASES, which is sheer overkill for the needs here under discussion.

Furthermore, DB replication still requires data communications; and, between remote locations, FTP is a commonly used protocol.

And, yes, it does involve the transmission of discrete files of the data to be transmitted, even if each file contains but a single bit of data. Of course, that is highly inefficient, with the result that aggregated files are first created, so as to transmit as few packets as possible.

To repeat, whether or not the application performing the function is or is not called an uploader, is a standalone application or one integrated into a larger one, is functionally immaterial.

Such application functionally remains an uploader; and, FTP remains an efficient protocol under TCP/IP.

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

I think the point this person was making was in regards to output files, which are stale as soon as they're generated. I think they're claiming it's possible that they may be phased out over time as better technology and exchange->exchange relationships unfold. I don't think anyone ever said FTP "protocol" is going away. I am not trying to start a big debate but it is definitely possible to setup a system that sends over small chunks of data, not an "entire databases" {publisher/subscriber model}.

deepsand's picture
deepsand (not verified)

... the best that can be had is periodic differential updates - i.e., automatic periodic uploads of only those records which have changed - such as now occurs with "real time" POS systems such as EIBoxOffice.

Absent dedicated "stateful" comm. channels, that's as good as it gets.

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous (not verified)

haha..ok. Keep working on that file uploader app. It's all good.

deepsand's picture
deepsand (not verified)

Is this your notion of substantive response?

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