NJ.com: There’s a ticket war in Trenton.
At the center of it: What’s the best way to sell entertainment tickets? Paperless, in which the consumer buys online and then presents a credit card at the gate, or the old-fashioned way — a real paper ticket?
Some unusual alliances have formed as Trenton lawmakers consider a proposal to ban paperless tickets. Consumer rights advocates, charity officials and ticket brokers have testified in favor of the measure, which they say would promote free market access for consumers. And they believe the proposed requirements — that venues say when and how many tickets are going on sale — bring transparency to the murky concert industry.
2 comments:
I think that this ban on paper tickets is quite unfair to small non-profit theatre companies. Also, would this ban extend to theatre shows in an educational setting? I understand that the paperless way of life is catching on, and that it would help to stop scalpers for large shows and concerts, but for small venues and educational settings, it would be quite unreasonable. The people who run these small places don't have the resources to set up a network and web system for online tickets. Plus, it's easier for small non-profit companies to work in cash than credit card, because the credit card fees (for online things) are more expensive than buying paper and printing out tickets. For large concerts, I agree with the law, it'll get rid of lots of scamming and scalping of tickets, but for small theatrical and musical ventures, it makes no sense. I hope that the proposal is edited so that it only applies to large events.
Let's break down the law on how it would affect the theatres:
1. No paperless tickets, only physical stock - not as much of an issue. Most operations for smaller theatres especially revolves around minute online operations and lots of phone calls/mail/paper.
2. No dynamic pricing - this may actually be a big one for the theatres that do it. McCarter made an additional $100k last year for adjusting their prices on big selling shows. There's some money in it.
3. Opening all tickets at the same time - we do this in general, but the member/subscriber advantage is one of the most key things that we can offer to those who support us most. That would be ridiculous to eliminate.
4. Convenience of online tickets - probably the biggest thing. Ticket purchases are limited to only be during box office hours.
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