tickets
Latest
New York speeds up access to its train ticket mobile app
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially promised that smartphone-friendly train ticketing would roll out by the end of 2016, but (unlike some trains) it's ahead of schedule. Governor Cuomo has revealed that the MTA eTix app will be available to all Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers by the end of the summer. The rollout will happen in phases. You can already buy tickets for LIRR's Port Washington Branch and the Metro-North Hudson line. By August 22nd, there should be a "full system wide implementation" on both railways -- you usually won't have to worry about carrying physical tickets as long as you have an Android phone or iPhone.
New York criminalizes the use of ticket-buying bots
If you failed to get tickets for your favorite band, even though your finger was poised on the "buy" link the instant they went on sale, don't worry -- you never stood a chance. They were probably snapped up by bots that, in one case, bought 1,012 Madison Square Garden U2 tickets in less than a minute. The state of New York has declared that scalpers who use them could get fines and even jail time. "New Yorkers have been dealing with this frustrating ticket buying experience for too long," says state assembly member Marcos Crespie.
Ticketmaster will start selling tickets on Facebook this month
You can already buy things on Facebook, and later this month, you'll be able to snag concert tickets without leaving the site, too. Ticketmaster VP Dan Armstrong told BuzzFeed in an interview that the ticket retailer would begin selling admission to live music and other events through the social network's site and mobile app before April's end. While Ticketmaster isn't the first to coordinate purchases from Facebook, making tickets to events available on the social channel seems like a good move for both companies.
NY Attorney General takes aim at high-tech ticket scalpers
The state of New York has been known to take the lead on matters of consumer protection, and it looks like Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will do so once more. Schneiderman's office released a report titled "Obstructed View: What's Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets" that details the "fixed game" of trying to secure admission to high-profile events. Following a three-year investigation, the report discusses an online ticketing business where brokers are use bots and other tech to nab loads of tickets in seconds. Of course, those tickets are then resold at higher prices based on demand.
SeatGeek lets you easily resell tickets, transfer them to friends
SeatGeek has made a name for itself with its mobile app, which lets you snap up tickets for sporting events, concerts and the like, while also giving you a view of your seat. But starting today, you can also use the new SeatGeek Marketplace to resell tickets without much fuss. You just need to drag a PDF of your ticket onto your SeatGeek account page and the service will grab all of the relevant event details for you. The company also uses its pricing data to suggest a potential price for your ticket that'll get you the best return. Payments are handled using Venmo, which means you won't have to give up your bank account details to SeatGeek, and the company takes a 15 percent cut from the sale. You can also transfer tickets to friends from SeatGeek's mobile apps and charge them at the same time (there's no transaction fee for friend transfers).
Pandora snatches up Ticketfly to become a one-stop shop for music
Pandora has been providing artists with tools to connect with fans and understand their audience for a while now, but the company is getting serious about event promotion, too. The internet radio service announced that it's purchasing Ticketfly, a company that offers ticketing and other marketing tools for live gigs. Ticketfly currently works with 1,200 venues and promoters to help folks like you and I find and purchase tickets to catch a live show. The acquisition means that Pandora will have a way for artists to sell tickets in addition to its AMP (Artist Marketing Platform) feature that provides audience info and Artist Audio Messages that help them directly connect with fans. It also recently purchased Next Big Sound to help with listener insights and trends. This deal for Ticketfly is worth around $450 million and it's said to be "a nearly equal mix" of cash and stock.
Expedia buys Orbitz to expand its online travel empire
Looking to extend its reach with folks who book travel reservations online, Expedia is snatching up the competition with a quickness. Today, the web-based travel agency announced that it's purchasing Orbitz for around $1.6 billion, so the most popular option in the US for searching flights, hotels and more on the web gains the business of the third-ranked site. The sale also includes CheapTickets, ebookers and Hotel Club in addition to a couple of B2B brands. "This acquisition will allow us to deliver best-in-class experiences to an even wider set of travelers all over the world," said Expedia's president and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Expedia just nabbed Travelocity last month for $280 million, and it already owned Hotels.com and Hotwire -- all popular destinations for globe-trotting bargain hunters. [Photo credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Google search starts linking directly to event tickets
Just can't wait to snag some tickets for a big concert, but don't want to wade through the band's site (or the ticket shop's page) to make sure you get a good seat? You won't have to after today. Google has forged deals with AXS, Ticketfly and Ticketmaster that link you directly to tickets when you search for a specific venue on the web or in Google Maps. If you search for a band, you'll also get tour schedules.
New smartphone movie tickets don't require a scanner
Sure, digital tickets allow you to skip the printer before heading to see Gone Girl or Fury, but you still have to get the scan of approval before nabbing the over-priced popcorn. MovieTickets.com's new system that only requires theater staff to take a look at your phone before letting you in. Using Bytemark's V3 (visually verifiable virtual ticket) tech, purchases have security features like animated watermarks, touch animations and color changes to keep the counterfeiters at bay. Those features can be changed and concealed from patrons until just before the doors open, and "tearing" the digital version for verification. While a pilot program is expected to start before the year's end, the V3 systems are already in use for transit options -- including the NY Waterway and Chicago's South Shore line.
Online ticket companies could soon face the music over expensive booking fees
Nothing beats going to watch your favourite singer or band play live. UK ticket companies know this, so they've been penalising by charging exorbitant booking and delivery fees for years. That practice could soon be brought firmly into the spotlight, however, thanks to consumer pressure group Which?. The Guardian reports that the charity has given online ticket companies until Wednesday to explain the reasons behind their high mark-ups, which, on average, add 18 percent to face-value ticket prices, or it'll refer the evidence it's been collecting on them to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. It's highly likely the sellers will choose to remain silent in the face of criticism, but we may finally understand why these so-called fulfilment fees, transaction fees and service charges are appearing when we buy tickets online.
PAX South tickets go on sale
The newest PAX has finally opened its virtual doors to registration! PAX South tickets are now on sale on the official website, although at the time of this writing there was a queue to purchase them. Attendees can buy one-day passes for $30 or a three-day pass for $65. PAX South is limiting purchases to four badges per person, with children six and under admitted free with a paying adult. There are no refunds. The convention will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from January 23rd through the 25th, 2015.
First wave of BlizzCon tickets sold out
Tickets for BlizzCon 2014 have sold out! Well, the first round of tickets have, anyway. It's estimated that this first offering sold out in five to 10 seconds, according to our sister site WoW Insider. Past BlizzCons have seen similar ticket sales, and this year is already showing that Blizzard's still got it. If you happened to blink at any time yesterday, you can still try for round two this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT).
BlizzCon Tickets on sale today
Do you intend on buying tickets to BlizzCon? If you do, then get ready, because today at 7:00 pm pacific, you can attempt to do that very thing. If you don't manage to get your hands on tickets, don't immediately despair, for a second round of tickets will also be available this Sunday, May 10th. From what I understand (having never actually managed to go to BlizzCon) it can be pretty crazy when the opportunity is presented, so you can make use of these resources to try and maximize your chances, also provided on the Blizzard official site. Best of luck to everyone out there trying to snag those tickets. Remember, that's 7:00 pm Pacific, through the Eventbrite site.
Expand NY happens in November, but you can buy tickets for it RIGHT NOW
If you didn't make it to Expand SF or Expand NY 2013, we won't hold it against you, but the truth is, you missed out. Don't make the same mistake again. The third edition of Expand is happening in New York City this fall, and you can buy your tickets to attend immediately. Twenty bucks gets you a two-day pass to all the festivities, and students get in the door for half that -- of course, we have individual day passes available, too, and you can get the full rundown of your ticketing options right here. What do your dollars buy you? Only access to some of the coolest people and technologies on the planet. We're talking giant robots, virtual reality demos and even workshops to teach you how to hack together your very own gadgets! Plus, you'll get to hang out with fellow tech-heads and your favorite Engadget editors, too. So, check out the Expands of the past, then go grab your tickets to the future. You'll be glad you did.
Moviefone's phone service shutting down after 25 years
When your service is more fondly remembered as a Seinfeld plot than as something people use, it's probably time to drop the mic. After a quarter-century, Moviefone's movie-times hotline is winding down, as users abandon the phone in favor of sites like Fandango. The AOL-owned company isn't fading quietly into the night, however, as Moviefone's mobile app and website will still live on in their current form -- for now, at least.
Spotify tries to win over artists by predicting their future royalties
While Spotify has shown that a streaming music model can be successful, it's consistently come under fire over an apparent lack of financial support for new artists. To boost that relationship, the company has launched a new website, Spotify Artists, with the intention of cutting through the noise to explain how much musicians could be paid if they decide to stream their music. Spotify uses real-world, albeit anonymized, examples to demonstrate how its business model works and details how it calculates royalties, which have already passed the $500 million mark this year. Spotify realizes it can't do it all alone, so it's brought on board two new partners to provide some additional muscle. Next Big Sound's Artist Analytics dashboard processes Spotify's music metrics to track how music spreads and who's listening to it, helping artists decide when might be the best time to embark on a tour or new promotional campaign. With support from Topspin, you'll soon be able to grab yourself a branded tee or limited-edition vinyl along with your gig tickets, directly supporting your favorite acts from within the Spotify app. While most of its free features are already available, Spotify says we can expect to see its new ticket and merchandise listings go live "in the upcoming months," giving it some additional ammo in the fight against streaming non-believers.
PSA: WWDC 2013 tickets go on sale in one hour! (update: sold out)
You've had a day to renew your membership, book plane tickets and beg, borrow or steal $1,600 from your neighbors. Now it's time to sit on the WWDC homepage and find out if you'll actually be able to attend Apple's annual software shindig. The tickets go on sale in just an hour, so here's a friendly heads-up that you should get a cup of coffee, charge that battery pack and practice hitting F5, just in case. Update: We've just seen a new definition of fast. As developers have noticed, Apple sold out of WWDC tickets in about two minutes -- and possibly sooner than that.
PSA: BlizzCon tickets on sale right about ... now [Update: Gone!]
Just a heads up: Tickets for this year's BlizzCon event in Anaheim, California, are going on sale in just a few minutes at 7pm Pacific. The tickets – which will likely sell out quickly – are priced at $175, and include a swag bag and admittance to the two day event beginning November 8.Tickets are on sale on from the official BlizzCon site.If you don't get tickets today, there's two more chances to do so. This Saturday, April 27, a second round of ticket sales will begin at 10am Pacific, and when that's done, all of the regular admission tickets will be gone. Your last chance, then, will be on May 1 at 7pm Pacific, when Blizzard will sell 200 tickets at $500 a piece for the Blizzcon Benefit Dinner, which includes full admission to the show and a charity event.Update: 29 minutes later, the first round of tickets is sold out. If you didn't get yours, you'll have to try again Saturday.
Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses returns to LA in June
Get your finest green tuxedo ready, Los Angelenos, because the Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses concert is coming back in June. The touring show features a full orchestra performing classic tunes from the series, and this event promises "newly approved" music straight from the land of Hyrule.The show starts at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday, June 12, which puts it right on the second day of E3 2013. If you want tickets, they'll be available this Saturday at 10AM through Ticketmaster.This is a newly scheduled stop on the Zelda tour, but it's not the only one: The full schedule has dates around the rest of California, in Texas, and up in Seattle and Toronto as well.
BlizzCon's golden tickets going on sale in two batches
Grabbing one of the year's hottest tickets will be a tricky prospect, especially considering how fast BlizzCon typically sells out. However, Blizzard is giving everyone a fair chance at grabbing one of these tickets by announcing the dates and times that they'll be going on sale. Dates plural? Yes indeed! BlizzCon tickets will be sold in two batches, first on Wednesday, April 24th, at 10:00 p.m. EDT and second on Saturday, April 27th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The tickets for the two-day convention are $175, although if you want to package in the Children's Hospital benefit dinner with the show, you'll be looking at parting with $500. The studio also assured fans that it will once again be selling virtual tickets to BlizzCon, although specifics regarding these have yet to come. BlizzCon is taking place on November 8th and 9th at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
