Google teams up with Ticketmaster to offer concert tickets through YouTube
YouTube is -- of course -- about video, but it is becoming more than that. Google has just announced that it is teaming up with Ticketmaster, giving people the opportunity to learn about concert dates and buy concert tickets while watching artists' videos.
For now, the feature is limited to the US, but there are plans to roll it out on a wider scale. With YouTube increasingly used as a marketing tool by musicians, the progression to using it as a ticket outlet is hardly surprising -- but it's not clear what sort of cut Google is planning to take, and whether this could ultimately push up tickets prices.
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In a post on the YouTube blog, the music teams says: "We've been experimenting with ways we can offer a ticketing experience to fans and we're excited to announce our first ticketing partnership with Ticketmaster. Starting today, we will begin featuring hundreds of artist's upcoming U.S. tour dates on their YouTube videos. Fans enjoying an artist's official music video on YouTube can now learn about upcoming concert listings and with a simple click, go to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets."
The post goes on to say:
YouTube's massive fan base paired with Ticketmaster's global roster of concerts and security of verified tickets means we can easily connect a fan's discovery of music on YouTube to their ability to purchase concert tickets [...] as part of our ongoing commitment to support artists, we’ll continue to find additional ways to make meaningful fan and artist connections.
This will come as great news to concert-goers, and the wording also implies that there could well be other partnerships on the horizon, so tickets could be offered from other outlets as well.