The Tech and Music Industry blogs are abuzz today with a new and interesting patent that Apple has filed for a “Concert Ticket+” iPhone App for electronic ticketing. CrunchGear has a good explanation of the patent and what it purports to do:
There are a number of potential benefits to using this system. The most obvious benefit is you would no longer have to worry about losing or forgetting your ticket because the NFC technology would allow the iPhone to completely replace the paper ticket. The app would also allow you to easily transfer your tickets to others as well as access more information about the concert or event. From the business perspective, Apple’s e-ticket system would allow companies to target the ticket purchaser with live recordings, exclusive content, and concert refreshments….While none of the technology is particularly new, this system could certainly change the way we buy and use concert tickets in the future….
The idea for “ticketless” electronic ticketing via mobile phones has been floating around for a while, but it’s cool to see some more signs that bring this closer to reality. It’s also interesting to see that Apple made this move before Live Nation or Ticketmaster could lock it down, given that the newly combined Live Nation Entertainment would likely stand to gain the most from this kind of electronic ticketing. Of course, LNE is not a dominant technology company like Apple, so I guess it’s not really surprising how this played out. Either way, it’s cool to think about how this might revolutionize how we buy and use concert and event tickets.
I just confirmed a slot on my calendar for the SF MusicTech Summit set for the Hotel Kabuki here in San Francisco on Monday, May 17th.
The SF MusicTech Summit brings together visionaries in the music/technology space, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.
I’ll be there, but I refuse to call myself a visionary.
But seriously, I’ll be there tweeting updates and seeing what the scheduled set of visionaries thinks about the future of the concert industry and what it means for the fans. Read on for the list of confirmed speakers… READ MORE
Live Nation and iTunes just announced a partnership to sell live digital downloads from concerts at various Live Nation venues. Eliot from Wired’s Epicenter blog has a bit more info on the new offerings, which also include concert video as well as audio:
The new section represents another breakthrough in the promising area of live digital music, which has been hampered by complicated rights issues even as other forms of music proliferate legally online…Live Nation recorded the shows at over 80 of its venues, “which have been transformed into next-generation ‘wired’ live recording studios” according to the announcement. Live Nation will sell these recordings exclusively through iTunes….iTunes Live Music (iTunes link) also lists Apple’s more extensive live archive, including recordings by Sonic Youth, Regina Spektor, Pete Yorn, The Rapture, Kings of Leon, Gnarls Barkley, The New Pornographers and others…It also includes concert videos. Apple had already racked up video exclusives of shows by It Might Get Loud, The Killers, Kings of Leon and other bands, selling them in iTunes a week before they were available on DVD.
READ MORE
Over the past few years, as this whole web 2.0 thing has really grown and progressed, we’ve seen a number of new sites launch that are specifically geared towards live music fans on the web. In a sense, all of them exist to help fans track and follow their favorite touring bands/artists in a variety of ways, but with a focus on their live shows rather than their studio output (which is amply covered by a slew of Music 2.0 sites and services).
While a lot of these sites have not yet emerged into the larger music business landscape, there’s no doubt in my mind that web technologies in general will continue to affect and disrupt the live music space, as they’ve already been doing quite drastically with the recording industry. Back when I was able to dedicate more of my free time to Live Music Blog, I was really interested in exploring this space in depth. Although Justin and I have occasionally posted about some of these sites — mentioning iLike.com and ShowClix or talking up the latest feature from JamBase — we’ve never really focused on them directly as a key topic. We’d like to change that. Since we are a site dedicated to live music, it only makes sense to look at the related web services and sites that serve all of US as a community of fans. I’d like to finally re-visit my original idea and dig a bit deeper into all the sites and services that form what we call “Live Music 2.0.”
READ MORE
Everyone’s favorite Hasidic Jewish reggae-rapper, Matisyahu, is touring heavy this Fall and will once again be hosting his “Festival of Light” Chanukah celebration this December. The eight-night run will include four shows each at Webster Hall and at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, with a different opening act featured each night, including: Glitch Mob, RANA, Dub Trio, John Brown’s Body, Brothers Past, Kid Koala and Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes).
You can grab a sample tune off of his latest album Light from this little widget:
One interesting thing about Matisyahu’s tour is that they’ve teamed up with Posse.com, an Australian start-up that seeks to involve fans as online promoters and just recently launched in the U.S. With Posse.com, fans can get involved in actually promoting bands’ shows and earn rewards for their viral marketing efforts. Although it has a bit of a “pay-for-play” feel to it, it’s certainly an interesting and innovative approach to the ever-evolving realm of online concert promotions. It’s also very “Live Music 2.0,” which we dig around these parts.
READ MORE
iClips.net has been webcasting and streaming live events for several years now, but it seems like the site has begun to really pick up steam in the last few years, particularly with its heavy focus on the music festival scene in the U.S. As the live music streaming space continues to grow and evolve, we thought it might be a good time catch-up with the folks at iClips.net.
I recently touched base with Nate Parienti, the man who founded the site and continues to lead the team over at iClips. Enjoy.
READ MORE
