It seems like Facebook is trying to take over yet another market: concert tickets. In an attempt to streamline the process one goes through to go to a show, Facebook is now providing the option to buy your tickets directly from an event page without visiting a third party site. Is this going to make an impact on how we get tickets? Or is it just another useless venture? Let’s check it out…
Surprisingly, Facebook is not taking any percentage of the ticket price, opting instead to hand off the internal, post-purchase work to a third-party. This is a good first step, as some may be worried that Facebook would be adding a surcharge for their services. Once purchased through the event page, tickets will be made available through will-call only. This can be frustrating for some as most online vendors will provide the option to print your ticket at home to avoid any extra lines.
For now, Facebook is partnering with a handful of independent venues, artists, and promoters in the Bay Area in California to test their new function. Will it be worth it? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how users respond.
