The Half-Price Ticket Biz Heats Up
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While the league diddles, the competition has tiptoed into town. Its Web site may say “coming soon,” but California-based Goldstar Events is already offering half-price online tickets for selected dates at Chicago theaters–including Steppenwolf and the Goodman. CEO Jim McCarthy says they’re not out to cannibalize Hot Tix; he claims that Goldstar, which offers a range of events including music and sports and works with sites like Daily Candy, is marketing to a “mainstream” audience Hot Tix might never reach. On the other hand, last week he had click-and-get tickets for 32 Chicago events. You have to become a Goldstar member to order, but that’s painless: an e-mail address and zip code does it; next thing you know, you’re getting a weekly newsletter with event listings and alerts to late additions.
McCarthy says the response from venues here has been warm and the competition is not with Hot Tix but with movies and DVDs: “We’re trying to grow the pie for live entertainment.” Terence McFarland, executive director of the league’s Los Angeles counterpart, the LA Stage Alliance–which sells its half-price tickets on the Internet–says Goldstar is getting some business that would otherwise move through his organization. Even so, he adds, ticket sales for LA Stage Tix are up 17 percent over last year. Shoss says Goldstar called the league office, but they haven’t talked yet.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Paul Dolan.
