SeatGeek is the Bing Travel for concert and sports tickets. SeatGeek displays maps of the arenas and stadiums and color-codes the seats based on the best available tickets. SeatGeek analyzes millions of tickets from the secondary markets and then apply their own values for things like winning percentages and weather forecasts to determine when is the right time to buy. The company says they are 80% accurate on forecasting ticket prices.
SeatGeek has a very simple revenue model in which they just develop the technology, get users to their site and then earn affiliate commissions from the likes of StubHub, eBay and others when tickets are purchased.
Ever been dying to go to a concert, football match or F1 Grand Prix but the most plausible thing happened and you went to buy the tickets two seconds too late. Despair and anger (mostly towards yourself). The only chance you stand now is going on a mission to hunt down someone who has tickets (that may or may not be genuine) and pay two weeks wages for them.
Fear not – seathound.com has the answer. It’s a pretty basic idea and that’s why I love it. Ask any businessman/entrepreneur and they’ll tell you that tackling everyday, well-known problems is the way to make millions in this world.
Seat Hound will locate dozens of tickets for sale. Some are on eBay, others are on independent ticket sales sites – but who cares where you get them? The point is that you’re going!
I typed in ‘U2’ to check it out. I was greeted by dozens of search results from their upcoming gig in Croke Park here in Dublin to events as far away as October in Phoenix. The guys at Seat Hound have clearly done their work. Even small artists that you wouldn’t hear of everyday are listed. This is a great service that I fully intend to use – a lot!
It also saves you money as it displays the ticket prices right next to one another so you can get the best one. Seat Hound will also be so kind as to tell you where the ticket is in relation to the stage, pitch or track etc…. so you won’t need to bring the binoculars.
One bad thing that I will say about it however (and I really am nit picking here) is that it is US focused. While you can still find gigs all over the world – the homepage is dominated by the stripes and the stars. A UK or European version wouldn’t go amiss. 9/10
AOL quietly launched a new local site last month called When.com. When.com is a local portal which lets you know what is happening in your area with relation to tickets, performers, events, restaurants, venues and more.
When.com has some great listings and it is really great to see a site that is completely dedicated to providing information simply about your area. The first initial downside is that the ads don’t at all match the site and locations. If they came up with a text version of advertising and then locally based it also, then that would really take off, maybe this will come with time and traffic.
When.com works best when trying to find out which band in playing in your local area in the coming months and trying to plan a really good night out. Plus with the restuarant listings it makes it a very nice rounded package.
Are Live Nation and Ticketmaster planning to merge? According to a Wall Street Journal report emerging Tuesday evening, the answer is yes. The paper noted that the pair are “close to a merger,” citing “people familiar with the matter”. The tie-up would effectively combine the largest live concert conglomerate with the biggest ticketing company, resulting in a massive conglomerate. The deal, expected to be cashless, could be announced in a matter of weeks, according to the report.
Sounds like a big deal, though regulators could hold up the marriage. That is no small consideration, especially in light of the massive delays experienced by recent newlyweds Sirius Satellite and XM Satellite Radio. Those partners required both the approval of the US Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), though the Justice approval on its own was quite lengthy.
Other issues are also worth noting. Live Nation just launched a homegrown ticketing service; a merger could effectively nix that attempt. Moreover, it remains unclear which party is actually acquiring, and where the top executives would land.
SeatGeek is the Bing Travel for concert and sports tickets. SeatGeek displays maps of the arenas and stadiums and color-codes the seats based on the best available tickets. SeatGeek analyzes millions of tickets from the secondary markets and then apply their own values for things like winning percentages and weather forecasts to determine when is the right time to buy. The company says they are 80% accurate on forecasting ticket prices.
