In a move designed reportedly to crack down on counterfeiting and eliminate secondary ticket sales, Live Nation Entertainment is planning to issue digital wristbands in place of tickets for some upcoming UK music festivals.
The concept of using digital wristbands, which will carry a smart chip and be personalized to each buyer, takes the company’s Ticketmaster-based paperless ticketing initiatives a step further by embedding a wearable bracelet with a technological identification stamp. Traditionally, paperless tickets require the purchaser to swipe a credit card or a magnetized identification card at the gate in order to gain entry.
For now it appears that neither fans nor brokers will not be allowed to resell or transfer the wristbands. Through its Ticketmaster division, Live Nation operates three ticket resale Web sites, GetMeIn in the UK, TicketsNow and TicketExchange, but the company has not disclosed plans to allow resale on those or other sites.
A spokesperson for Live Nation did not respond to a message seeking comment.
During the run up to the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger, the companies identified paperless ticketing and dynamic pricing as two of the initiatives the combined company planned to build upon in 2010 and beyond. While the digital wristband experiment is being conducted in the UK, if successful it will likely come to the North American market soon after, if plans for a U.S. launch are not already underway.
“If someone has spent their hard-earned money on a ticket that they can no longer use, then they should have the right to sell it on, whether it is a paper ticket, e-ticket or any other type of ticket,” Edward Parkinson, online marketing director at UK-based viagogo, told the BBC, which first reported the story. “The most important thing is to make sure that when someone buys a resold ticket, they get what they pay for, in time for the event.”
Live Nation is expected to implement the digital wristband technology at its O2 Wireless, Download and Hard Rock Calling festivals, among others. And, organizers will be able to ask customers for ID to prove they are the person who bought the wristband.
“Your ticket won’t be a paper ticket, it’ll be a wristband unique to you,” John Probyn, chief operating officer for Live Nation UK’s music division, told the BBC. “If Fred Bloggs comes in, I can ask him for identification to prove he is that person,”
Besides gaining entry, the wristbands reportedly would also allow buyers to prepay for concession items, and possibly other merchandise, too.
Last Updated on March 26, 2010 by By Alfred Branch Jr.
33 Comments
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One step closer to requiring a DNA sample to go to a concert. Good Lord.
This is like throwing out the baby with the bathwater… when will promoters learn that its the secondary industry that is driving the demand and sales of their tickets. Whatever happened to the free market? When I buy a ticket. I own that ticket and can do whatever I wish with it. If I choose to sell it at a profit, or a loss, that is my decision.
Love to see this, speculators take the risks on gigs – on whether they’ll sell out or not – yet companies like Livenation Entertainment will do whatever it takes to make sure they get both bites of the cherry. I can see it now Ticketmaster for first bite and GetMeIn/TicketsNow etc for reselling – everyone else will be marginalised out of the market by these new initiatives. That’s the plan I guess.
scalpers like you two are the best examples of why the merger was the best thing that’s happened to the music business in decades. You will no longer be able to buy a $150 ticket and sell it for 2-3-4-5x that much. Scalpers have no business making money that fans are willing to pay. The artist and promoters deliver the product, they deserve what the market will pay. I can understand your frustration, 200%+ returns with the stroke of a few keys was good business, but your days are numbered. Its about time innovation came to the live event/music industry…….I’m so glad to Live Nation taking the industry forward. The benefits of this merger FAR outweigh the negatives.
I cannot believe the ignorance of your post. You are obviously a plant from LiveNation/Ticketbastard because nobody could actually be that naive. I’m hoping!
You have got to be one of the dumbest consumers out there. Ticketbastard/lienation wants customers like you. Brokers cater to a particular customer, unlike tb/ln who feels you the consumer does not pay enough for your seats and sells ALL Seats at a PREMIUM. At least with a broker you can get a deal on seats, not like those jokers you rave about, they will take your last dime and put it in a package. Just wait until they make you purchase parking on your package, with your group, charge you for each ticket holder and only allow you one parking pass. I could go on with how wonderful you think this merger is, but you are WRONG!!!! DOJ made a huge mistake when they allowed this merger to happen.
Before making such specious claims, you’d be well advised to rationally evaluate your premises to their ultimate conclusions.
Yes Ticketmaster/Livenation are your friend! $20 per ticket convenience fee’s plus $6 processing fee’s are paying for the merger.
Then you already have official platinum seats from Ticketmaster/Livenation, where 200 of the best seats are priced individually. Also the other best seats will somehow find there way to Ticketsnow. You think it is bad now? Wait a year and you will find it impossible to get any seat without paying a premium. TM/LN next plan is to acquire more artists and venues, so they will directly own every seat they sell. Guess what? you won’t be paying less or have ‘fairer’ access.
You guys give yourselves too much credit. You really think Live Nation / Ticketmaster care about you and what your say on this ridiculously biased site? You’re basically complaining about an organization (THE VENUE/ARTIST) trying to prevent others from making money off THEIR owned seats.
Before making such specious claims, you’d be well advised to rationally evaluate your premises to their ultimate conclusions.
You can’t go buy a $30,000 car from the dealer then sell it for $200,000 because the dealer is only going to be there for a limited period of time. If you could the dealer would sell it to begin with for $200,000…..which is the way a concert should be. If I want to pay $1000 for a front row seat to see U2 (for example), then U2 and the promoter should be paid….not somebody sitting around in their housecoat with a faster computer than mine. Dynamic pricing is the best thing to come along in a long time.
You guys are obviously scalpers that are scared of innovation as you it running you all out of business. I will leave with the quote from Irving Azoff at the “All Things Digital” conference link: http://d7.allthingsd.com/20090527/irving-azoff/
The only people that oppose the merger are the one’s that don’t understand it.
Wrong argument. The car dealer buys the car from a primary seller (the car maker). The car dealer charges more money than they pay the car maker. That is why a dealer is a dealer not a car maker.
If the car maker wanted to sell cars directly to the consumer then it would be very difficult to get the car to the consumer. That is why the car dealer charges a premium to buy a car from him.
Think of it this way, when you go to the grocery store and buy some apples, does the farmer get the price you pay? No, you pay the grocery store a premium for getting apples and enabling you to buy at your convenience.
Such is little more than a personal opinion; and, as such, holds no special privilege.
While each is entitled to his own opinion, no one is entitled to his own “facts.”
Try learning how to engage in rational and civil discourse.
Ad hominem attacks do not qualify as such.
While each is entitled to his own opinion, no one is entitled to his own “facts.”
At the end of the day you can say what you want about the secondary market, but these attempts to inhibit transferability hurt fans. If they can’t make an event too bad. It’s an infringement on property rights of the average joe as well as a ticket broker.
You’re not the dealership – you’re the used car salesman.
You either allow of the right to resell that which one owns or you do not, no matter if the original owner or a subsequent one.
BTW, brokers do not sell USED tickets, so that your analogy fails on its face.
While each is entitled to his own opinions, he is not entitled to this own “facts.”
So brokers will do like they do with paperless tickets and charge a premium for escorting people into the venue or meeting them at the door.
All it does it raise the prices on the secondary market for the premium seats.. and guarantee that big events, like Miley Cyrus, don’t wind up selling out.
More profits for the smart brokers.. less profits for Ticketmaster.
On the downside, it uses more petro-chemicals and rare earth metals. 🙁
This is so flagrant an anti-trust violation that it amazes me they really think they can keep this up.
The movie studios were tagged for far less control of the product.
They will have a short monopolistic reign.. smart brokers will find ways to profit (such as creating a paperless/will call/digital bracelet network of people who want to make money walking people into venues).
And like every pendulum, it swings too far in one direction and then back again… soon it will be illegal for them to restrict resale of tickets.
it may be instructive to observe that, since the McCarren-Ferguson Act of 1947, the insurance industry has, for the major part, been exempt from both the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and Federal regulation under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, operating instead under a patchwork quilt of regulations written and enforced by the separate States.
A look to the present battle over health care should suffice to tell how effective that regulatory strategy worked out to be!
You clueless idiot. Do you know how many artists opposed and spoke out against the merger? They know damn well it’s bad for them and bad for everyone else. The only people on this planet that wanted that merger to pass were those affiliated or invested in Ticketmaster and Livenation. That’s it. The DOJ didn’t think they had a case that could hold up in court despite knowing full well the monopoly that would result from the merger, so they just laid down and took it.
Why should any business dictate how you use your purchase after you purchased the item outright, irregardless if it is a broker or an average joe like you. Instead of car dealers we could change it to the banks owning our homes. The market dictates the prices of what home prices. Tickets are like that too, but brokers did not get bailouts and nor do we get millions and billions in yearly bonuses. You bash brokers.
In theory, the technology behind the wristbands is a fantastic idea, it will no doubt rapidly reduce the time it takes to get into large events, much like barcode scanners. However, in practice, it remains to be explained how this will actually prevent touts. So whilst it seems like Live Nation are saving all the customers from the woe of touts and making sure we can buy directly from them (who are so much more trustworthy), it is worth remembering Live Nation has direct links with reseller sites such as Tickets Now.
If you get a chance, please read my blog here…
http://www.somasoapbox.com/2010/03/25/why-i-wont-be-putting-all-my-money-on-a-smart-chip-wristband-just-yet/
You will regret that comment, when you continue to see the rise in the price to see your artist. They will all be packages and they will charge you for parking for each ticket you purchase and only allow one parking per order. You obviously have no clue how they are gonna take rape you for every last dollar. Just you wait. ticketbastard is already raising the base prices of their seats, you will be paying how 2-3-4-5x that amount with them alone. But you have your head in a hole, so you just have not comprehended the concept yet.
I’d be shocked if you aren’t a TM/LN employee. But, if you aren’t, I pity you. On average, brokers control about 10% of inventory. That means 10% of fans MAY pay more. They may also pay less, and often do when shows tank. In this new world of the TM/LN merger, 100% of fans pay more. Go and check out the new Lilith Fair tour. $139 for back pavilion seats. $47 for lawns. And both before they tack on their fees. This is the future of ticketing. All fans pay more. All fans have their rights to re-sell restricted. And Azoff cashes a massive check every year. If you really think this is a good thing for fans, then you obviously aren’t one.
Oh my God……I detest online debates, but this was like listening to people defend the candle business at the invention of the light bulb. The music business was stagnat….it had resorted to suing it’s own customers for crying out loud!! Its like the last business in the universe that hasn’t harnessed the internet and just as (for example) Barnes and Noble was afraid of Amazon and Compaq was afraid of Dell….brokers are now afraid of what Live Nation intends to do. And you say Live Nation is this giant that can’t be opposed…..Philip Anschutz (owner of AEG Worldwide) has a personal net worth greater than the market cap of the Live Nation.
And who was the guy that said I was attacking….I would suggest you re-read the post to my comments. I just stated my case and the attacks toward me begin. I should have realized I was posting in a broker trade publication. At any rate I am not a Live Nation employee, I just recognize disruptive technology when I see it. The internet killed the newspaper business…..did you guys launch a protest then? I remember everybody bellyaching when Time Warner and AOL merged that the new Time Warner would have control of too much information….give me a break.
Lets say music is free one day. They give it away. How does that harm the consumer?
I would love to discuss it in a non-combative way with anybody whose mind isn’t already made up and is adopting the “McCain/Kennedy” motto that “a fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed”. And for those that felt compelled to start saying “they felt sorry for me” or pointing out that I must be “naive” or “ignorant”…..I’m sorry that this merger brings out the worst in you. I hope you find a happier place in your life.
Let me ask you. Where would the benefit be for Live Nation to jack ticket prices sky high? It would be like Exxon taking over the gas business, then charging $100 a gallon for it…….any company can eventually price itself out of the market.
But at any rate, if you guys honestly believe Live Nation is going to be this monster company that “owns” the industry, go invest it in and reap the rewards. Maybe there’s a revolt and the company goes bankrupt or it goes the way of Microsoft and is sued at every turn……who knows? Not me. I just think the industry needed a new business model.
Now, I’m really going to try to stop. Good luck to you guys and I would have never posted anything if I thought it would stir up this kind of storm.
How come if ticketmaster is so worried about reselling do they allow people to resell paperless tickets through their website? They don’t hate the brokers, they just hate the brokers making money when they aren’t getting a cut. This way if the brokers buy tickets that make a profit ticketmaster profits more and if the brokers buy tickets that don’t sell… oh well ticketmaster still sold the tickets to someone. It’s like dynamic pricing without taking any risk. Total scam on their part. They really love the brokers, they just want a cut.
I guess saving a ticket stub as a momento of your evening will cease to exist, if your ticket is now a wrist band. How special is a wrist band?
What is also not mentioned is the fees that is shared in the convenience fees as well. They all want a piece of the pie and for some a second chance to gouge the consumer on top of the price.
Let me add this too, TM/LN takes an automatic 5% cut off tickets they purchase from the broker in their point of sale. It is not an option to the broker, but required to do business with those basT%$#@, you must accept this to have the right to resell. Remember how they held back orders till the price dropped, then pushed them through. What is to stop them from screwing the customer back in this very same situation, when it comes to having to resell through their exchange. That is just a matter of time. They screw all of us with the prices in original purchase and will screw you again if they get their way and become the only avenue to resell your tickets. So those of you that think the merge is fantastic to the consumer, you have another thing coming. For those of you consumers that think that brokers are being sour grapes, not the case, we see the free market being monopolized by the greed of this merge.
You dislike the monopolies of AT&T and Comcast? I do, well they have a new cousin, and capable of being meaner than you ever imagined. These guys are going to ruin the concert experience for those that knew it in better times. Promoters, box offices and venues were also against this merge, but you will never comprehend, it is like spinning wheels. One day, you will see you were deceived. You will wish for the day, when tickets weren’t so F*&^*ng outrageous. Can you imagine how some of these artists with the inflated egos will think what it should cost to see your mug in front of them each evening…. $25 more to sit on the aisle.
Good article here on what this may mean to fans.
http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/97221/44
so basic premise is that you are mad at them just because they are good at business.
Additionally, assumes facts not in evidence and misrepresents the statements of the other.
Keep going; you’ve a lot of fallacies left unused.
I am not mad because it has done nothing to hurt me. I just need to laugh at the gullible people who believe that Ticketmaster is doing anything for the good of the fans or artists. They don’t want the big bad brokers out of business, they just want to force the brokers to only be able to resell through them putting places like stubhub out of business. I think they may be walking a fine line… if they get too greedy it could come back to bite them.