Concert Tickets Delivered to Cellphones For First Time Ever... Again?

The Royal Oak Music Theater in Michigan will be the "first venue outside the sports world to offer ticket delivery to mobile phones," according to Tickets.com, which provides the Tickets@Phone service that will be used by the venue to provide cellphone ticketing.

Similar plans were announced years ago, but may never have come to fruition.  Tickets.com’s claim that it is currently "the only ticketing solutions provider offering ticket delivery to mobile phones" appears to be accurate, although the phrase "in the United States" is missing (since folks overseas have been able to present a cellphone to get into certain venues for yonks).

Beginning with the Morrissey concert on 10/19, people who purchased tickets for Royal Oak shows online at Tickets.com will have the option of having their tickets delivered via text messages containing unique barcodes to be scanned by special equipment at the venue’s entrance.

Patrons who order using the service will get to use a separate entrance line, which the press release touts as a privilege.  (If the service takes off, won’t the cellphone line be longer than the general admission line?).

Tickets.com is a subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media, LP, "the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball."  When even major league baseball getting in on live music dollars, the getting must be pretty good (and further illustrates why labels want in on live music too).

Here’s the full press release:

(image from metromodemedia)

Royal Oak Music Theatre Goes Mobile with Tickets. com

COSTA MESA, Calif., October 11, 2007 – Tickets. com , a leading provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announced todaythat Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Mich., will begin deliveringevent tickets to patron’s mobile phones utilizing the new Tickets @Phone™ ticket delivery method from Tickets. com .  Currently, Tickets. com is the only ticketing solutions provider offering ticket delivery to mobile phones.

Royal Oak Music Theatre is the first venue outside the sportsworld to offer ticket delivery to mobile phones.  Currently, six MajorLeague Baseball teams are utilizing the Tickets @Phone™ ticket delivery technology from Tickets. com . Tickets @Phone™ will be available starting with tickets purchased for the Morrissey performance on October 19th.

The 80-year-old art deco theater is offering fans that purchase tickets online the ability to select the Tickets @Phone™ ticket delivery option to receive tickets on their cell phones via a text message. Consumers receive a digitalticket that includes standard ticket information and a unique barcodethat is scanned from their mobile phone at the theater entrance.

“The majority of our patrons are among the younger demographic who sendand receive text messages several times a day,” said Justin Miller, general manager, Royal Oak Music Theatre. “We want to give them theopportunity to use the latest technology. Allowing Royal Oak patronsthe ability to receive tickets on their cell phone does that.”

In addition to the convenience of ticket delivery to a patron’s phone within minutes of placing an order, each of these mobile tickets comes with VIP Entrance privileges. These privileges are given to the Tickets @Phone patrons as they arrive at the theater for the event. There will be a separate entrance line for Tickets @Phone patrons, as well as priority entry for General Admission shows. 

“We’re excited that Royal Oak is pioneering this new technology in theU.S. By doing so, the theater is strengthening its commitment to itsaudience’s overall entertainment experience,” said Brian Roberts, vicepresident of sales at Tickets. com .

Originally constructed as a movie palace, the theater has preserved itsmagnificent grandeur throughout the years. Royal Oak Music Theatre hasplayed host to a long list of eclectic performers, including BillyCrystal, Robin Williams, Duran Duran, George Clinton & TheParliament Funkadelic, Hank Williams Jr., Iggy Pop and Donovan. Upcoming performances are scheduled by HIM, Gov’t Mule, Pat Monahan, and Warren Miller’s "Playground.”

In addition to purchasing tickets online at www.royaloakmusictheatre. com com />  , music fans can also buy tickets over the phone at (248) xxx-xxxx, at select Meijer locations throughoutMichigan, at Record Time stores in Ferndale and Roseville, or at theRoyal Oak Music Theatre box office.

About Tickets. com

Tickets. com , a subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media, LP, the interactive media andInternet company of Major League Baseball, is a premier event ticketingsolutions and services provider for thousands of top worldwideentertainment and sports venues.