In the latest edition of TicketNews TV, correspondent Kim Crandall covers the latest in state regulatory efforts regarding the ticketing industry, StubHub’s venture into mobile ticketing, the financial health of Broadway and new developments in music and sports.
In New York, the state legislature is considering whether to regulate the use of paperless tickets, a controversial topic among ticket sellers. Primary ticketers are promoting the use of paperless ticketing as a way to improve security for ticket buyers, while those in the secondary industry are claiming that this option restricts choices for consumers, including limiting the transferability of tickets.
The New Jersey Assembly’s Regulated Professions Committee recently approved a cap on the premium charged for in-person resale of tickets. The measure also prevents promoters from reselling tickets before the date of public onsales. See the video below.
StubHub advanced further into the mobile ticketing world this month with its newly signed deal with ESPN. The agreement will allow fans to purchase tickets by cell phone using ESPN’s ScoreCenter app and the ESPN mobile site.
Also in this edition, Crandall discusses the recent addition of dates to the North American tours of Paul McCartney and Roger Waters. McCartney’s “Up and Coming” summer tour begins July 10 at AT & T Park in San Francisco and wraps up with a performance which opens the new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA, on August 18. Roger Waters has added four additional concerts in response to high ticket demand. Waters opens his “The Wall Live” tour at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON, on September 15 and plays his first U.S. show on September 20 at the United Center in Chicago, IL.
Crandall also reports on a slowing of Broadway box office sales this week, though despite the slump, a number of shows continue to do well on the Great White Way. Among the box office winners this week were “Wicked”, the “Lion King,” the “Addams Family,” “Promises, Promises” and “Fences”.
Finally, professionals in the ticketing and live entertainment industries are invited to attend the upcoming Ticket Summit, hosted by TicketNews parent company TicketNetwork. This Ticket Summit will take place from July 14-16 at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Ticket Summit offers a biannual conference for ticket industry professionals, meeting in New York City each January and in Las Vegas in July. For more information, visit www.ticketsummit.org.
Launched in 2009, TicketNews TV is a fast-paced, monthly Web-based newscast that covers various aspects of the ticketing industry, focusing particularly on the secondary ticket market. Michael Merritt is the video editor. More episodes of TicketNews TV, as well as videos about parent company TicketNetwork, can be found by clicking here.
