Radiohead experienced problems with paperless ticketing earlier this year

 

Paperless gig ticket technology still not 'practical'

 

Paperless tickets could help combat touts but many venues still do not have the capabilities to support them, say independent music promoters.

 

Although most tickets are sold online, bringing a printed barcode ticket means it is not truly a digital transaction. But one independent promoter Anton Lockwood, who works for DHP, says paperless is not always "practical". "It only works where the cost of introducing the system can be spread over high ticket prices," he said.

 

"The physical design of arenas can make paperless tickets much easier to handle but in club venues, for example, it's more difficult as there isn't usually the space for equipment like electronic turnstiles."

 

Dave Newton of We Got Tickets, an online retailer, believes that the technology has actually made it easier for small venues. "Paperless ticketing has brought the cost down [for smaller venues and promoters] and opened up the option of advanced ticketing," he said. "Resistance is still there at the larger venues because they're used to having people stood on the door ripping tickets."

 

The benefits of going paperless include the chance for streamlined venue entry and the opportunity to control resales and touting. There are downsides though, which were demonstrated in September after Radiohead fans had problems claiming or returning their paperless purchases.

 

A spokesperson from Ticketmaster says that paperless ticketing is an "artist-led initiative" and they say it's up to the musicians and their promoters whether they use physical tickets or not. He said: "Following the recent set of dates at The O2 for Robbie Williams, a survey that we [Ticketmaster] completed suggested that 87% were satisfied with their experience of paperless. Fans agreed that it is the future of ticketing."

 

Other technologies, such as electronic wristbands and smartphone apps, may be the way that paperless ticketing is rolled out across the industry. Dave Newton thinks that when marketing companies capitalise more on the tagging, social media and promotion capabilities, tickets may go completely digital as a way for them to "capture that data" and create "up-sell opportunities".

 

Technologies are also being developed for when people have actually arrived at the gig venue. One of those includes inaudible frequencies, sounds that can be played out of speakers at gigs that cannot be heard by people but can be picked up by smartphones. Theoretically the noise trigger could then make the smartphone bring up all kinds of content from merchandising or ticket purchase options or play video.

 

New innovations may also change the way people buy tickets in the future and how music fans experience the gig once they are actually there.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/20622342

printing tickets out is annoying

well actually i like it for smaller show (bars, theatres etc) but it feels dumb at arenas/stadiums

I much prefer proper tickets, but I don't particularly like this paperless ticket system, especially the Radiohead one.

 

I had an incident where I got three tickets for Radiohead, one for my girlfriend, and then we split up. I'm lucky that I have friends that love Radiohead; if I didn't, I'd have paid £50 for a spare seat.

 

I can't stand touting, but the implements put in to stop it just seem a bit too stern to me. I'm pretty sure most people buy tickets responsibly, and no one's forcing you to pay a man outside the o2 Arena £150 to see Michael Buble. The people who want to see bands are still seeing them, we just need to cut gig prices. The Courteeners are playing the o2 Academy near me for £18.50. That's just daft.

The Courteeners are playing the o2 Academy near me for £18.50. That's just daft.

 

don't complain about ticket prices until you've been to a show in NZ :blank:

I mean, the prices are kinda justified from us being so far away but hell I've paid £20 to see a band play at a bar...

don't complain about ticket prices until you've been to a show in NZ :blank:

I mean, the prices are kinda justified from us being so far away but hell I've paid £20 to see a band play at a bar...

 

Wow. That is bad.

 

I take back my earlier disdain.

I much prefer proper tickets, but I don't particularly like this paperless ticket system, especially the Radiohead one.

 

I had an incident where I got three tickets for Radiohead, one for my girlfriend, and then we split up. I'm lucky that I have friends that love Radiohead; if I didn't, I'd have paid £50 for a spare seat.

 

I can't stand touting, but the implements put in to stop it just seem a bit too stern to me. I'm pretty sure most people buy tickets responsibly, and no one's forcing you to pay a man outside the o2 Arena £150 to see Michael Buble. The people who want to see bands are still seeing them, we just need to cut gig prices. The Courteeners are playing the o2 Academy near me for £18.50. That's just daft.

Pretty much agreed word-for-word with this.

 

Let's face it - things happen. Plans change, things come up last minute, emergencies happen, etc. This happens to all of us. Stubhub has saved my ass from losing money in these incidents. With paperless, I don't have that ability and I'm totally out of luck. I've noticed Ticketmaster is now allowing resale back through them for some paperless events, and that's a great idea since it requires face value resale, but not all paperless events allow that.

Pretty much agreed word-for-word with this.

 

Let's face it - things happen. Plans change, things come up last minute, emergencies happen, etc. This happens to all of us. Stubhub has saved my ass from losing money in these incidents. With paperless, I don't have that ability and I'm totally out of luck. I've noticed Ticketmaster is now allowing resale back through them for some paperless events, and that's a great idea since it requires face value resale, but not all paperless events allow that.

 

Face value resale is exactly what should happen, and physical tickets gives you that opportunity.

 

Bands' websites and forums should give this option I think. Same as I think if bands streamed their own albums on their own websites with their own adverts, they'd make more money than they would with Spotify. Cutting out the middle man saves a lot.

Paper tickets give you something physical to remember the show with, also something which can be signed by the band. A band can't sign your smartphone.

Paper tickets give you something physical to remember the show with, also something which can be signed by the band. A band can't sign your smartphone.

 

Same as they can't sign your iTunes download or Spotify stream :/ Physical's always better.

YOU'RE NOT A TRUE FAN IF YOU DON'T LET COLDPLAY SIGN YOUR IPHONE.

Chris Martin's autograph really gets in the way of me playing Angry Birds and reading my GPS.

YOU'RE NOT A TRUE FAN IF YOU DON'T LET COLDPLAY SIGN YOUR IPHONE.

ESPECIALLY IN THICK BLACK MARKER ON THE FRONT DISPLAY! COVER THAT F***ER!

E-tickets are better than regular tickets

 

Only as the ticket company can't normally hit you with delivery charges, unless your name is Ticketmaster who charges the same to deliver an e-ticket as they do to post tickets out

When Mike and I saw Radiohead in Jersey we had GA. When we went in they swiped our credit cards.( we each had bought individual tix, We tried for 3 hours to get tix and realized ticketmaster was doing the slow feed) Some of the processing devices they were using to check the credit cards were not working, which in turn screwed up ppl trying to get in, mainly the GA ppl trying to make it to the barrier. We were lucky and had no prob, hence our insanely fantastic front row baby Ed side! I def appreciate the idea of ticketless to cut down on scalping but it needs to be improved

The issue with using credit cards is:

1 - What if it's a gift? Do you lend your card to the person you purchased tickets for?

2 - What if the card expires between buying the tickets & the show, are you meant to keep hold of an expired/cancelled card?

Good points Dave