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.
