It wasn’t too long ago that buying a ticket meant physically standing in line at a box office. For a really hot show, people would sometimes spend all night waiting in line for the box office to open. Today, those sorts of rights of passage are reserved for sneaker releases and new iPhones, and just like everything else, tickets are purchased online.
At least for now. Several New York tech companies are pushing the boundaries of what it means to buy a ticket. From websites that aggregate just about every hot-ticket in the city, to companies that sell subscription movie passes, the ticketing industry seems to be constantly reinventing itself.
What they sell: Theater tickets
How it works: TodayTix deals in last minute theater tickets. Because they’re selling them last minute, you can get some great deals. After all, if they go empty the production company gets nothing. Currently, the service works in New York, Chicago, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia and Connecticut. And no, when I looked, there were no last-minute deals Hamilton tickets, though seats to see Daniel Craig in Othello were going for $25/each, which is about what you'd pay to see him as James Bond in the movie theater.
Founded: 2013
What they sell: Sports, theater and concert tickets
How it works: SeatGeek is a huge aggregator of sports, theater and concert tickets. The company says they have the largest event ticket search engine on the web, so you can be pretty sure they’ll have what you’re looking for. Unlike TodayTicks, they did have Hamilton tickets available when I looked, though they were starting at $502 a pop. Interestingly, the did not have Daniel Craig's Othello, but they did have the hip-hop version, Othello: The Remix — for $95 a seat.
Founded: 2009
What they sell: Movie tickets
How it works: MoviePass is kind of like ClassPass, but for movie theaters and, without the unpleasant exercise part. You pay for a subscription, which then gets you into new releases at over 3,700 theaters across the country. If you’re really into movies, it’s a good deal too, and an unlimited pass will run you just under $50. Popcorn is not included.
Founded: 2011
What they sell: Concert tickets
How it works: Jukely is kind of like paying a subscription to be on the cool-kid list. For $25 a month, you get unlimited access to an astonishing array of concerts by breakthrough artists — be it rock, electronic, hip-hop or whatever. But here’s the catch: you only get to see the concerts that are listed that day, the next day and the day after that. The service works at venues in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington DC.
Founded: 2012
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