The Mariners have announced a "pilot program" with
Ticketmaster.com in which "fan demand for a small number of
seats" at three games in July and August will determine the
price for those seats, according to Bud Withers of the
SEATTLE TIMES. Under the promotion, fans may log on to
mariners.citysearch.com and check the availability for one
of three test-seating areas for games on July 27 vs. the
Blue Jays, August 1 vs. the Red Sox and August 11 vs. the
Indians. Mariners VP/Business Operations Bob Aylward said
that approximately 100 seats in each of three areas will be
affected. The "current market price" will be listed on the
site, "based on the advance-ticket rate and the demand for
tickets at a given price in that section." But as more
people check on the tickets, the price will fluctuate.
Withers: "Even if the price does not fall to the fan's
asking price, the bid still plays a part in establishing the
market price. No matter how many bids are made, tickets
will not exceed face value." Ticketmaster.com President Tom
Stockham said that he "doesn't think the idea has been tried
in any ticketing venture" (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/18). The
NATIONAL POST's Vito Pilieci noted that "the idea of having
people choose a price for their tickets is one that has had
much success in the airline industry" (NATIONAL POST, 7/18).
CLICK, PRINT, ATTEND: The WALL STREET JOURNAL
INTERACTIVE's David Sweet wrote that "the future of sports
ticketing is geared toward printing out tickets at home --
and eventually eliminating the cardboard voucher
altogether." Tickets.com is "testing" home-based ticketing
and "may launch the concept as early as next season," when
more ballparks install bar-code readers (WSJ.com, 7/18). In
Milwaukee, Don Walker reported that the Mets have sold more
than 150,000 tickets online this year, a 250% increase over
last year. The Brewers have sold 24,421 tickets online this
season, 2% of their total sales (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/15).
