‘We Have Listened And Responded’: AXS Enters Ticket Resale Market In The UK, Sweden Next

AEG’s ticketing system AXS has announced the launch of a ticket resale platform in the U.K., with AEG venues The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley the first to partner, and the plan to expand to other European markets soon.

The SSE Arena, Wembley – The SSE Arena, Wembley
One of the first arenas to introduce the AXS Marketplace as its official ticket resale site

The so-called AXS Marketplace will cap the resale price of tickets at 10 percent above the price paid by fans. It comes with “built in controls” that allow artists and promoters to set restrictions on the resale of their tickets. These controls include the ability to cap re-sale prices or, if required, asking all people entering the venue to have a ticket on their own phone for identification purposes.

AEG announced that, “for the first time ever, tickets for sale using AXS, including primary and secondary, will be visible to consumers at the point of purchase in real time.

“It will also eliminate confusion and remove fan anxiety as to whether their ticket is actually valid for entry.”

AEG thereby addresses two of the biggest criticisms aimed at the primary and secondary ticketing markets, respectively: in-transparency about the actual amount of tickets available in the primary onsale, and uncertainty about the validity of tickets purchased on the secondary market.

The AXS Marketplace also confirms the move predicted by industry insiders of ticketing companies increasingly offering primary and secondary repertoire alongside one another, blurring the lines between both and paving the way towards dynamic pricing in concert tickets.

Tickets on the AXS Marketplace get delivered on mobile devices, replacing the PDF attached to an email. The system is called ‘Flash Seats’. It incorporates digital ID technology, which includes a dynamically changing barcode system to ensures that the tickets cannot be copied or shared illegally.

Robert Byrne, managing director of AXS Europe, said the AXS Marketplace “will help prevent ticket touting and help combat illegal counterfeiting. We know that fans, artists and their representatives have been looking for a solution to these issues for a long time and we believe AXS Marketplace with Flash Seats mobile delivery will be a real game-changer.”

Tom Miserendino, President and Chief Executive of AEG Europe, called it a “ground-breaking solution for ticketing in Europe,” and encouraged “other ticketing providers selling seats at our venues to join it.”

He added, “there has been a noticeable shift in the industry recently and more of our artists and promoters want a better solution to ensure fans get an authentic ticket at a fair price. Through AXS Marketplace, Flash Seats mobile delivery and capped pricing, we can now deliver this. It is fairer for fans, eliminates counterfeiting, combats touting and allows us to have a complete view of everyone at the event. We have listened and responded.”

AXS has opened its API to allow other primary ticket sellers to use “Flash Seats” as their method of delivery as well.

The O2 – London – The O2, London
Ended its ticket resale partnership with StubHub to replace it with the AXS Marketplace

The O2, London, used to have a ticket resale partnership with StubHub, which has ended. A spokesperson from StubHub said, “StubHub and AEG have taken the mutual decision to end their partnership after five years. In this time, we have enjoyed a successful partnership with AEG in the UK. As we part ways, we welcome the increased competition, which AEG’s marketplace will bring to consumers and the industry at large.”

According to AEG, “the move by AEG Europe to partner with AXS Marketplace for The O2 and The SSE Arena, Wembley – two of Europe’s biggest and busiest entertainment venues – marks a distinct shift in the live entertainment industry and underlines a commitment to a fairer and more transparent resale market for fans, artists and promoters.”

Sweden will be the next country in Europe where AEG is going to open the AXS Marketplace, given AEG’s strong arena presence in the country’s capital Stockholm, where it operates the Annexet (3,950 capacity), Hovet (9,000), Ericsson Globe (16,000), Tele2 Arena (40,000) and Friends Arena (75,000).
 
The U.K.’s FanFair Alliance, which has been campaigning for fair, transparent, fan-friendly ticketing for years now, welcomed today’s announcement by AXS. Campaign manager Adam Webb sees the launch of the AXS Marketplace as part of “a seemingly unstoppable trend towards services that offer consumer-friendly resale.”