AEG is growing its AXS ticketing division with the “goal of taking market share” from Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, according to Jonathan Polakoff of the L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL. AXS does “nearly half of its business abroad, where ticketing deals go through promoters.” Three years in, AXS is now “trying to lock up contracts with non AEG-venues.” AEG President of Digital, Tickets & Media Bryan Perez said, “We’re starting to turn our attention to third-party clients.” Polakoff notes AXS “makes money by charging a venue a set amount or a percentage of the surcharge on each ticket.” The company “also makes money through other offerings such as website design and marketing on behalf of venues.” The company’s “focus thus far has been on ticketing concerts and other live shows, since Ticketmaster is a formidable opponent in sports.” Ticketing for the Clippers and Lakers is “still handled by Ticketmaster even though the teams play their home games at AEG’s Staples Center.” In such cases, Ticketmaster and AEG “work as partners with a shared interest in selling out games.” But AXS is now “actively trying to switch the teams over to its system" (L.A. BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/19 issue).
