US: Amazon taking on Ticketmaster?

Amazon is looking to shake up the ticketing market.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is speaking directly with major venues about getting into the ticket sales business, according to Reuters.

The ticketing market has long been controlled by West Hollywood, California-based Ticketmaster, which charges steep fees to customers to broker access to popular events.

Per the report, Amazon views the US ticketing market as “ripe for attack.” Customers hate Ticketmaster’s ticket fees, while venue owners want more competition to increase ticket sales. The company has already launched Amazon Tickets overseas.

Amazon tried to play nice with Ticketmaster, holding conversations in an effort to partner up. But according to Reuters, the conversations stalled when the companies disagreed over who would control customer data.

Amazon has reportedly approached at least one league about selling tickets on the secondary market, similar to online ticket outlet StubHub. The company has also offered to write checks worth millions of dollars to sponsor certain venues.

Full Content: Reuters

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