AXS CEO Bryan Perez said the company is "not headed down" a path right now linking COVID-19 test results to ticketing accounts, according to Samantha Hissong of ROLLING STONE. The idea was first discussed earlier this month by some in the music industry as a way to make sure "only those who were deemed negative could go to future shows." Live Nation and its ticketing arm Ticketmaster have been "considering such options." But because so much comes down to a variety of state and local regulations, Perez said that it is "hard to tell whether or not a testing-based ticket system could work for a nationwide company." And Perez said that offering rapid COVID-19 tests at the door is a "logistical nightmare." Hissong noted linking test results to tickets "could also hamper the resale market, at least for large-scale events," since a customer who wanted to resell a ticket "would need a large enough window to allow for the new buyers to get tested." Perez said, "The two biggest times for resale are as soon as the show goes on sale and the last three days before an event, so you're completely wiping out that run-up to the event." Meanwhile, Perez is "optimistic" about Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine trials. He said, "If those start getting distributed in December to frontline workers and people at risk, and then you move to the general population for six months, the back half of the year is not out of the question" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 11/19).
