Online Ticketing Project
Cappella Novocastriensis, a chamber choir based in Newcastle upon Tyne, has been awarded a grant by Arts Council England/Making Music North East Training and Development Fund, to investigate the feasibility of, and demand for, web-based ticketing for events staged by amateur music societies in the North of England and the technical and financial requirements necessary to put such a service in place.
There is now a widespread and growing expectation by the public that tickets be made available via the internet and payment made by credit card. Web-based ticketing is not novel. There are many commercial organisations that will provide this service but with a substantial overhead and therefore many music societies, operating with very narrow margins, simply cannot afford to make use of the undoubted benefits. However, if a free-standing and independent service were made available and the overhead shared between participating societies on a non-profit making basis, we believe that web-based ticketing could be a viable option for organisations which might not otherwise contemplate such an enterprise.
There are a number of related issues to be investigated: how many of the music societies in the North of England might be interested in participating; what are the technical and financial implications; precisely how would the service be delivered; the acceptability of web-based ticketing to the traditional 'core' audiences; and, finally, who would take responsibility for the delivery and maintenance of the service?
To be a success it is very important to consult with any interested societies at every stage. The fundamental idea is to use the web to create a cooperative of societies which would allow the development of a service of benefit to all.
Kim Bartlett, Cappella's Chairman has emailed your society to ask if you're interested - and the replies are already rolling in. Do join the debate - this could be the way to go! Email Kim at kim.bartlett@tgfl.net to find out more.
This article was originally published in the Making Music: North East newsletter, Dateline - No.44, Autumn 2006.
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