Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tickets.com Selects 3PAR to Power the Ticketing Industry's Most Innovative Cloud Computing Platform

3PAR ® (NYSE: PAR), the leading global provider of utility storage, announced today that Tickets.com®, a leading provider of fully integrated event ticketing services for thousands of top arts, entertainment, and sports organizations worldwide, has chosen 3PAR Utility Storage as the foundation for its signature ProVenue® ticketing platform. The decision to deploy highly virtualized 3PAR Utility Storage has enabled Tickets.com to improve management efficiency by 10x and reduce the time to deployment window by 88% as compared to traditional storage arrays from other vendors. The event ticketing vendor has also reported up-front cost savings with 3PAR that total more than half a million dollars as compared to traditional arrays.

“Other storage vendors simply couldn’t offer us the cost advantages, functionality, scalability, and ease of management that 3PAR did,” said Brett Michalak, Chief Information Officer for Tickets.com. “With 3PAR, all the advanced features we needed were integrated into the system and provided at a cost well below that of the alternatives, and we didn’t need a dedicated SAN team or any additional people to manage it. With 3PAR, our systems were up and we were provisioning storage to our database servers within a day. That’s unheard of with other platforms,” said Michalak.

Powered by hyper-efficient and highly virtualized 3PAR InServ® Storage Servers and Oracle® Database Servers,the launch of the SaaS-based ProVenue®, the newest and most advanced ticketing system from Tickets.com, puts clients in control of their ticketing operation, from box office to phone sales to Internet transactions. With unsurpassed flexibility, open architecture, robust data management tools, and transaction speed, ProVenue® delivers industry leading technology to ticketing.

Through utilizing advanced 3PAR software offerings such as 3PAR Virtual Copy and 3PAR System Reporter, Tickets.com has reduced storage costs by maintaining a virtualized environment that enables them to do more with less—fewer disks, less power, less administration time—which has saved the company over a half a million dollars in up-front costs. The decision to build the ProVenue platform on top of a 3PAR Utility Storage infrastructure has also given Tickets.com the flexibility to add new customers and services rapidly—decreasing the time to deployment window by 88%. The reliability and flexibility of the 3PAR Utility Storage platform are supplemented by robust monitoring tools that enable Tickets.com to automatically screen the health of their systems to ensure the best end-user experience for clients and their customers.

In addition, 3PAR Dynamic Optimization makes the event ticketing vendor’s 3PAR Utility Storage infrastructure much easier to manage than traditional arrays, which has allowed Tickets.com to avoid adding headcount to administer their storage infrastructure. 3PAR Utility Storage has allowed costs to remain low through a pay-as-you-grow architecture that has enabled the ticketing vendor to maintain storage spend that is in line with sales growth.

“Many companies are looking to add SaaS or cloud-based applications to their product offerings as an innovative way to generate new streams of revenue and improve their reach,” said XYZ analyst. “3PAR Utility Storage is extremely well suited to providers looking to test these waters. With 3PAR, they can dip their toes into the SaaS pool with minimal up-front investment, then scale their storage infrastructure simply and painlessly as these new services gain traction and start to actually generate revenue.”

“The story that Tickets.com tells is one we hear time and time again,” said David Scott, President and CEO for 3PAR. “Their traditional storage infrastructure was holding them back. It simply wasn’t designed for innovation. It was inflexible, complex to manage, and at the end of the day extremely expensive. Lean times call for smart storage, and 3PAR was able to deliver more for less—more automation, more advanced capabilities, more capacity headroom, and better visibility—for dramatically lower cost and administrative effort.”

Monday, March 30, 2009

GMU Center for the Arts Welcomes Complexions Contemporary Ballet

The Mason Gazette

Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson founded Complexions Contemporary Ballet in 1994 to explore powerful social, political and emotional issues through the use of cutting-edge choreography grounded in classical dance, original music and creative multimedia effects.

The program, subject to change, is scheduled to include several works by Resident Choreographer Rhoden, as well as one by Richardson.

The performance comes to the George Mason University Center for the Arts Concert Hall on Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m.

The performance begins with “Routines,” a fluid, abstract piece that explores the dual concept of “routines” – those performed by dancers on a stage and those executed in the course of the everyday life of a dancer. Then a trio of male dancers will perform “Gone,” a piece about brotherhood, survival and the struggle to live through conflict.

Next will be an excerpt from “Momentary Forevers,” a work set to music by George Frederic Handel and John Cage; Richardson’s own powerful and unrestrained “Fall”; an excerpt from “Moody Booty Blues” set to “When the Guitar Plays the Blues” by Roy Buchanan; and a piece called “Moonlight,” an excerpt from Rhoden’s “Frames,” performed by Richardson.

Last, the company will perform “Rise,” which explores the dizzying journey of life in all its complexity and ecstasy, set to the anthem-like songs of U2.

The company received the prestigious New York Times “Critics Choice” Award in 1995 and has since toured throughout the United States and abroad.

Rhoden has created and choreographed more than 60 ballets for Complexions. Under his tutelage, the company has performed at numerous dance venues and festivals around the world, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, The Mahalia Jackson Performance Art Center in New Orleans, Italy’s Festival of Dance and the Holland Dance Festival.

Rhoden has performed with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal, and he was a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

He has received numerous awards, including the New York Foundation of the Arts Award, the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography and The Ailey School’s Apex Award. Rhoden has lectured and served as an artist-in-residence at universities across the country. He has also worked with such high-profile artists as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson and Patrick Swayze. Most recently his choreography was featured on the Fox network’s hit television show, “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Having mastered classical, modern and contemporary dance, Richardson was a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for seven years and also performed with the Ballet Frankfurt in Germany.

He was also a guest artist with the Washington Ballet, Teatro at La Scala and the San Francisco Ballet. Richardson performed the lead role in the American Ballet Theatre’s world premiere production of “Othello”; appeared in on Broadway in “The Locks of Love” and Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel’s hit musical “Movin’ Out”; and he received a 1999 Tony Award nomination for his performance in the Broadway musical “Fosse.”

He has performed with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince and Aretha Franklin, and recently appeared in Julie Taymor’s film “Across the Universe.” Richardson received the Alvin Ailey School’s Apex Award and the prestigious Dance Magazine Award.

A discussion, free to ticket holders, will begin 45 minutes prior to the performance on the Center’s Grand Tier III.

The Center for the Arts is pleased to recognize the generous support of PNC and the PNC Foundation as sponsors of the 2008-09 Great Performances at Mason season.

Tickets are $42, $34 and $21. Charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit tickets.com.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Tickets.com Client Spotlight: BOK Center

CHL players pick BOK Center as league's best arena

By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

In a survey of Central Hockey League players, Tulsa's BOK Center was voted the league's best venue.

In a season otherwise fraught with disappointment, the new arena was the one positive for the Oilers. Tulsa's 32nd and final home date is 7:05 p.m. Wednesday as the Northeast Division-leading Mississippi RiverKings visit the BOK Center.

The Oilers, absent from the CHL playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, close the season with a pair of weekend road games — at Wichita on Friday, and at Mississippi on Saturday.

Highlights of the 2008-09 Oiler home schedule:

Oct. 25: In the home opener, a BOK Center crowd of 16,982 — the largest in Oiler history and second-largest in CHL history — watched Oklahoma City prevail 5-1. Chris Kovalcik scored the first Tulsa goal in the new building.

Jan. 23: More than 8,600 fans convene as former Oiler star Doug Lawrence's No. 9 jersey is retired. Both goaltenders were ejected during a second-period brawl, and Oklahoma City records a 5-2 victory.

Jan. 17 and Jan. 20: For the first time all season, the Oilers record back-to-back wins, beating Mississippi 3-2 in a shootout and Rio Grande 4-3 in overtime.

Feb. 28: With several thousand school children in attendance, a crowd of 10,946 sees New Mexico prevail 3-2.

Before the start of Wednesday's game, Tulsa's team awards will be presented by former Oiler players. The Oilers have played six straight one-goal games and 27 for the season. Center Brendon Hodge has scored goals each of the last three games (including the overtime winner against Rocky Mountain on Saturday).

In Sunday's 2-1 loss to New Mexico, Tulsa goaltender Kevin St. Pierre totaled 50 saves. It was his fourth performance with at least 50 saves.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Sign up for Exclusive Pre-Sale Offers and Ticket News

Tickets.com Email Updates

Be the first to hear about the hottest events coming to your area! Sign up to get exclusive Local Event Guides, special pre-sale and on-sale offers, the latest information on upcoming events, and more delivered directly into your inbox.

Sign up now >

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cole Bros. Circus is old-fashioned entertainment

By Brian Freskos
Star-News Online


Camels and elephants will be in Wilmington April 2-5 when the Cole Bros. Circus celebrates its 125th anniversary as part of the Azalea Festival.

Cole Bros.’ “Circus of the Stars” is the world’s largest circus held under a big top tent, said circus Co-chairwoman Valerie Watkins.

This year the circus will feature elephants, camels, clowns, acrobats, trapeze artists, aerial gymnasts, the Human Cannonball and motorcycles in the Globe of Death, according to the Azalea Festival’s Web site.

Watkins said the event also will include a domestic dog act and a seven-man pyramid performance done on a high wire.

The event is called “Circus of the Stars” because the inside of the tent looks like a planetarium – dark blue like a nighttime sky, with bright, shimmering stars all over, Watkins said.

She said people of all ages will enjoy the varying performances.

According to circus attendance records, there has been a ratio of one adult per child, according to the Cole Bros. Web site.

The circus puts on two shows per day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. On April 4, the circus will perform three shows.

The shows contain approximately two hours of entertainment, Watkins said, and there is an intermission after about an hour.

Reserved tickets are $15 for children 12 and younger and seniors over age 62, and $20 for adults. A VIP ticket costs an additional $5.

Watkins recommended that people purchase tickets before April 1 at the festival’s box office, 5725 Oleander Drive, unit B7.

Tickets also can be bought online at tickets.com or on the Cole Bros. Web site, www.gotothecircus.com. After April 1, tickets can only be purchased at the circus box office.

The show takes place at 1740 Airport Blvd., by Wilmington International Airport

For more information, visit the Cole Bros. Web site or ncazaleafest.org, or call (888) 332-5200.

Want to go?
What: Cole Bros. Circus.
When: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 2-3; 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 4; and 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. April 5
Where: 1740 Airport Blvd., by Wilmington International Airport.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Billy Joel, Elton John teaming up for Albany show

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer
TimesUnion.com


Billy Joel and Elton John Concert Tickets ALBANY -- The Elton John and Billy Joel concert tour will play the Times Union Center this summer, bringing to town what is being described as the biggest show of 2009.

An announcement is expected Tuesday about the concert tour that has sold out in every city it has played this year. The entertainers have not been together since 2003.

The Face 2 Face tour kicked off in March in Jacksonville, Fla., and then went on to the Toyota Center in Houston to play to another packed house.

The date in July for the Albany performance will be revealed at a Tuesday morning press conference at the center at which Mayor Jerry Jennings will have proclamations and keys to the city for the performers. Also on hand will be Albany County Executive Mike Breslin, Times Union Center General Manager Bob Belber and New York City-based AEG promoters.

Find tickets >

Monday, March 23, 2009

Tickets.com Client Spotlight: K-Rock Centre Honored

K-Rock Centre best small venue
AWARD: Canadian entertainment honours Kingston facility


Kingston Whig Standard

Kingston's K-Rock Centre was named major facility of the year in the 8,000-seats-or-less category at the Canadian Music Industry and Broadcast Awards.

One of 36 awards handed out by the association representing the Canadian entertainment, radio and music industry in Toronto, the new Kingston arena was voted top in its class, which included a half-dozen other "hard-seat" arenas, amphitheatres and stadia.

Verle Mobbs, the awards organizer, said the selection process is a lengthy one, starting with nominations from the industry itself that are then narrowed to a short list of finalists by two expert juries.

The facilities remaining on the short list are then voted on by members of the industry.

One of the main criteria used by the juries are the number of Canadian acts booked and the support given to Canadian talent, Mobbs said.

Ken Noakes, general manager of the arena, called the award "a tribute to all the hard work of our staff and tremendous support of our events by the community."

At the same awards ceremony, Kingston radio station The Drive won the award for small-market radio station of the year.

The K-Rock Centre is a Tickets.com client.

Learn more about the K-Rock Centre >
Learn more about Tickets.com ticketing solutions >

Friday, March 20, 2009

"Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor" play comes to the Paramount Theatre

"Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor" plays at Seattle's Paramount Theatre March 20-22.

By Michael Cidoni
The Associated Press


LOS ANGELES — Tyler Perry wants Madea dead.

That may come as a surprise, given the big-hearted but foul-tempered, pistol-packin' granny has emerged as director-writer-producer-actor Perry's signature character — and, now, his cash cow.

"Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" topped the U.S. box office for two weeks last month, and made $41 million in its first three days of release, then quickly surpassed the overall take of his previously top-grossing film, "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion" (2006). It's now at $83 million and counting.

Still, Perry confesses: "I would love to see Madea die a slow death in the next film."

The reason? It takes a lot of effort to turn the 6-foot-5-inch Perry into big momma Madea. She's "a whole lot of fun to watch. But to do it is a nightmare," Perry says.

"It's all one suit that I'm zipped into, so it's all heavy. The hips are heavy. And the more I sweat, the heavier it gets. ... "

Come summer, the 39-year-old Perry — whose Atlanta-based media empire includes films, books, videos, theatrical productions and TV shows — will be back on the big screen making a cameo appearance in director J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek."

Perry's empire sends entertainment around the country, such as "Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor," the touring play with a three-day stand at Seattle's Paramount Theatre today through Sunday. Perry found his initial success in touring black-themed plays through Southern theaters, the so-called "chitlin circuit."

Next is Perry's own period drama "A Jazz Man's Blues." Then, more Madea, with "Madea's Class Reunion."

Perry said that it's clear that fans want more of her. "As long as they want to see her, she'll stay around. But, I'm telling you, if they ever stop coming, she's going to die a quick death. 'Madea's Funeral.' That's what you look forward to."

Tickets.com Product Highlight: ProVenueMobile

ProVenueMobile from Tickets.com ProVenueMobile™

Expand your reach by making tickets available for purchase through mobile devices. Now you can offer customers the ability to complete a ticket transaction from a mobile phone. Customers are no longer limited by time or place. Mobilizing your website – including event listings, venue information, and purchase process – offers your customers the ultimate convenience: the ability to buy your tickets anytime, anywhere!

Learn more about ProVenueMobile ticketing >

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Tickets on sale for Canisius, Bona WNIT games

The Buffalo News

Tickets for the first-round WNIT matchup between Canisius and Syracuse are available at the Carrier Dome box office. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and youths 12 and under. The phone number for the Carrier Dome box office is 1-888-DOMETIX.

Tickets for St. Bonventure's second-round WNIT game against the winner of the West Virginia vs. Coppin State game Saturday at the Reilly Center are available through the St. Bonaventure ticket office at 375-2500. Tickets will be $8 for adults, $5 for SBU students and children between the ages of 7-14 and free for all children under the age of six. Tickets can also be purchased through Tickets.com. That game will be played at 1 p.m.

Tragically Hip to play four Artpark shows

The Buffalo News
By Jeff Miers
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC


The Tragically Hip — Canada’s most popular rock band and a huge fan favorite in Western New York — will perform four shows in five days at Artpark this June, The Buffalo News has learned.

The band, which sold out two shows at the Lewiston venue last summer, will launch its tour there at 7 p. m. June 2 and continue with shows at 7 p. m. on June 4, 5 and 6, according to promoter Fun Time Presents. Fun Time’s Artie Kwitchoff and Donny Kutzbach will announce the concerts today.

Tickets for all four shows are $59.50 apiece and will go on sale at noon Friday through Tickets.com and the Artpark box office. All seats are reserved pavilion seating.

The tour is to promote the Hip’s 12th studio album, “We Are the Same,” to be released April 7.

The Tragically Hip performed its first area show within the relatively intimate confines of Nietzsche’s in Allentown back in 1989. The band, led by Gordon Downie, has been performing here ever since, in venues ranging from the Town Ballroom, to Darien Lake Performing Arts Center to HSBC Arena, building a sizable and incredibly loyal Buffalo audience in the process.

Since its formation in Kingston, Ont., where it cut its teeth in a manner similar to many Buffalo groups — covering the songs of famous acts in tiny bars and gradually sneaking in more and more of its own material — the Tragically Hip has grown into one of the most successful bands ever in Canada, selling out arenas from Vancouver to Toronto.

Buffalo has long mirrored Canada’s Hip-mania. And though the Hip has amassed a vast fan base here and in other border cities such as Detroit, in most other parts of the United States, it remains more of a cult act, routinely playing in midsize clubs.

“We in Buffalo know what Canada knows,” said Kutzbach. “This is one of the last great rock bands of our era. There is a definite artistic side to the band; they’re great musicians, and Gord Downie is a wonderful poet. But there’s also always that salt-of-the-earth, blue-collar aspect to what they do. It’s real, genuine rock ’n’ roll, and that’s something to value, because it’s so rare today.”

Find Tragically Hip tickets >

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Globetrotters come to UNCW

Contributed by The Compass

The Harlem Globetrotters, an American basketball tradition since 1927, bring their 2009 'Spinning the Globe' World Tour to Wilmington this week. They'll be at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Trask Coliseum on March 20. The Port City is the hometown of one of the most beloved Globetrotters of all-time, Meadowlark Lemon, who was inducted into the inaugural class of the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Details: 7 p.m. March 20, Trask Coliseum, UNCW, 601 S. College Road. General admission seats are $24 each and courtside seating is available for $64 at the Trask Coliseum box office and tickets.com. All tickets include a $2 handling fee.

The Field Museum: A Museum You AND Your Kids Will Enjoy

By Jacque Wilson
CNN


(CNN) -- You'd love to go. Just think of the history, the beautiful artwork ... the things you could learn. But upon hearing the word "museum," your kids break into a chorus of "I'd rather die."

Your children can pet some of the world's insect species at the Insectarium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1 of 3 So you wheel, deal and promise ice cream in massive amounts. In return, they agree to whine only when it's absolutely necessary -- or every five seconds, whichever comes first.

Perhaps you can avoid a situation like this on your vacation. Pauline Frommer, creator of the Pauline Frommer Guidebooks, has two kids, ages 6 and 10.

As a travel author, she knows what makes a museum educational and interesting for adults. As a mom, she knows what will keep children from being bored to tears.

"I think it's impossible to pick the very best five," Frommer said. "But here are five really terrific museums, with very different subject matters, that both kids and adults will groove on."


Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois

"What kid doesn't love dinosaurs?" Frommer asked. The Field Museum of Natural History sports one of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils around.

The museum also has a new exhibit called "Real Pirates," running through October 25, that will let your children experience the pirate life. They can hoist the skull-and-crossbones, tie pirate knots, learn how to fire a cannon and more, the museum's Web site says.

Permanent exhibits include displays about Africa, animal biology, bird habitats, ancient Egypt, Eskimos and Native Americans. And for a more focused trip, the museum's Web site provides downloadable "Family Adventure" self-guided tours that cover anything from scavenger hunts through the museum to biodiversity and conservation.

Adults $15*; children 3 to 11 $10*
*More for entry into special exhibits like "Real Pirates"

Get Field Museum tickets now >

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from your friends at Tickets.com!

Tickets.com In The News

Tickets.com Saves Half a Million Dollars with 3PAR Utility Storage
3PAR Powers the Ticketing Industry’s Most Innovative Cloud Computing Platform

Fremont, CA, March 17, 2009--3PAR® (NYSE: PAR), the leading global provider of utility storage, announced today that Tickets.com®, a leading provider of fully integrated event ticketing services for thousands of top arts, entertainment, and sports organizations worldwide, has chosen 3PAR Utility Storage as the foundation for its signature ProVenue® ticketing platform. The decision to deploy highly virtualized 3PAR Utility Storage has enabled Tickets.com to improve management efficiency by 10x and reduce the time to deployment window by 88% as compared to traditional storage arrays from other vendors. The event ticketing vendor has also reported up-front cost savings with 3PAR that total more than half a million dollars as compared to traditional arrays.

“Other storage vendors simply couldn’t offer us the cost advantages, functionality, scalability, and ease of management that 3PAR did,” said Brett Michalak, Chief Information Officer for Tickets.com. “With 3PAR, all the advanced features we needed were integrated into the system and provided at a cost well below that of the alternatives, and we didn’t need a dedicated SAN team or any additional people to manage it. With 3PAR, our systems were up and we were provisioning storage to our database servers within a day. That’s unheard of with other platforms,” said Michalak.

Powered by hyper-efficient and highly virtualized 3PAR InServ® Storage Servers and Oracle® Database Servers, the launch of the SaaS-based ProVenue®, the newest and most advanced ticketing system from Tickets.com, puts clients in control of their ticketing operation, from box office to phone sales to Internet transactions. With unsurpassed flexibility, open architecture, robust data management tools, and transaction speed, ProVenue® delivers industry leading technology to ticketing.

Through utilizing advanced 3PAR software offerings such as 3PAR Virtual Copy and 3PAR System Reporter, Tickets.com has reduced storage costs by maintaining a virtualized environment that enables them to do more with less—fewer disks, less power, less administration time—which has saved the company over a half a million dollars in up-front costs. The decision to build the ProVenue platform on top of a 3PAR Utility Storage infrastructure has also given Tickets.com the flexibility to add new customers and services rapidly—decreasing the time to deployment window by 88%. The reliability and flexibility of the 3PAR Utility Storage platform are supplemented by robust monitoring tools that enable Tickets.com to automatically screen the health of their systems to ensure the best end-user experience for clients and their customers.

In addition, 3PAR Dynamic Optimization makes the event ticketing vendor’s 3PAR Utility Storage infrastructure much easier to manage than traditional arrays, which has allowed Tickets.com to avoid adding headcount to administer their storage infrastructure. 3PAR Utility Storage has allowed costs to remain low through a pay-as-you-grow architecture that has enabled the ticketing vendor to maintain storage spend that is in line with sales growth.

“Many companies are looking to add SaaS or cloud-based applications to their product offerings as an innovative way to generate new streams of revenue and improve their reach,” said XYZ analyst. “3PAR Utility Storage is extremely well suited to providers looking to test these waters. With 3PAR, they can dip their toes into the SaaS pool with minimal up-front investment, then scale their storage infrastructure simply and painlessly as these new services gain traction and start to actually generate revenue.”

“The story that Tickets.com tells is one we hear time and time again,” said David Scott, President and CEO for 3PAR. “Their traditional storage infrastructure was holding them back. It simply wasn’t designed for innovation. It was inflexible, complex to manage, and at the end of the day extremely expensive. Lean times call for smart storage, and 3PAR was able to deliver more for less—more automation, more advanced capabilities, more capacity headroom, and better visibility—for dramatically lower cost and administrative effort.”

Monday, March 16, 2009

Jonas Brothers to perform at BOK Center

The popular trio announced Wednesday that it will be performing at the BOK Center in Tulsa on June 22.

By Staff Reports
Tulsa World


The Grammy-nominated Jonas Brothers have announced a world tour that will include a stop at Tulsa’s BOK Center on June 22, according to a band press release.
Tickets for the show go on sale 10 a.m. March 28 at the BOK Center Arby’s box office, area Reasor’s and Homeland stores, and online at Tickets.com and BOKCenter.com. Prices are yet to be determined.

On Monday, Team Jonas fan club members in select cities will have the first opportunity to buy tickets to the summer tour. For details go to tulsaworld.com/jonasbros. A pre-sale for CITI card holders in select cities will begin on Wednesday through CITI’s Private Pass program. For complete details visit tulsaworld.com/citipass.

Casey Sparks, the BOK Center’s director of sales and marketing, said she didn’t know if Tulsa is one of the select cities, and that fans should check the Web sites for updates and more information.

A Team Jonas premium membership is $34.99 and includes a welcome gift, frequent contests (including chances to win meet-and-greet passes) and giveaways, videos and photos from the road, and the chance to buy four concert tickets per membership before seats go on sale to the public.

The Jonas Brothers became a pop sensation after the release of the platinum-selling album “A Little Bit Longer.” They won an American Music Award for Breakthrough Artist and were recently nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Artist category.

The tour kicks of June 20 at the New Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Special guests on “The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009” are American Idol winner and Jive

Records’ platinum-selling artist, Jordin Sparks, and rising stars, Honor Society. “The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009” is produced by Live Nation.
Call the BOK Center toll-free, 1-866-726-5297, for details.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Ripken Baseball, MLBAM To Jointly Operate Baseball Instruction Site

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

GetGreat.com Ripken Baseball and MLB Advanced Media today will announce a multi-year agreement to jointly operate GetGreat.com, a youth baseball instruction Web site that will use much of the curricula and methods from the Ripken Baseball camps, and mix video with text-based material. The online offering, targeted to players aged 8-18 and their parents and coaches, will operate on a subscription model with an introductory offer of $29.95 for an all-access pass, or a la carte pricing of $9.95 per course.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Dave Matthews Band tickets for Syracuse show on sale early to Chiefs season ticket holders, Saturday to public

Chiefs season-ticket holders, newsletter subscribers to get first dibs. Box office will open to general public Saturday.

Thursday, March 12, 2009
By Mark Bialczak
Staff writer
Syracuse.com


By showtime Aug. 4, Syracuse Chiefs officials expect a capacity crowd of about 18,000 at Alliance Bank Stadium to see the concert by The Dave Matthews Band.

The stage will be in center field, with amplifier towers and video screens on each end, said Bob McElligott, the Chiefs director of communications.

Seating in the stadium's two levels holds about 11,100 people. Those seats will be reserved. The rest of the fans will hold general admission tickets that will allow access to the field, where everybody will be standing.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday.

They will be available at the Chiefs box office at the stadium, online at www.tickets.com and www.syracusechiefs.com, and by phone charge at 800-919-6272.

All ticket outlets, including those at the Chiefs box office, will be tied into the tickets.com computer system, McElligott said. There will be an eight-ticket limit per person.

The corporate suites behind home plate will be open for the concert; suite holders for the baseball season must buy tickets for the concert, McElligott said.

Dave Matthews Band Fan Club members had access to buy tickets at his Web site shortly after the show was announced Feb. 18. McElligott said he could not get any figure for the number of tickets sold then.

Syracuse Chiefs season-ticket holders and advertisers can buy tickets today, and subscribers to the Chiefs newsletter can buy tickets Friday.

Mike Voutsinas - Chiefs assistant general manager and director of promotions, who is the baseball team's liaison to promoters JAM Productions Ltd., of Chicago - told McElligott "there is no concern about selling out (the concert) before . . ." tickets go on sale Saturday.

The Dave Matthews Band has been one of the most popular rock acts in America for 15 years. Led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Matthews, the band has sold more than 35 million CDs and DVDs and has been named the top-drawing concert band in the world by Billboard magazine.

The band will release a studio CD June 2, its first since "Stand Up" came out in 2005.

South African native Matthews is joined in DMB by Carter Beauford on drums, Stefan Lessard on bass and Boyd Tinsley on violin. On this tour, they'll be joined by Tim Reynolds - a longtime acoustic duo touring partner with Matthews - on guitar, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Jeff Coffin on sax. Founding member and sax player LeRoi Moore died Aug. 19 from medical complications after an ATV crash.

McElligott said the Chiefs hope to announce more Alliance Bank Stadium shows. This is the first concert at the North Side ballpark since The Allman Brothers Band played then P&C Stadium during the summer of 2000.

STG Presents THE TRAGICALLY HIP 6/17 At The Moore Theater

Broadway World
By BWW News Desk


Seattle Theatre Group (STG) presents The Tragically Hip on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 8:00pm at the Moore Theatre.

Formed in 1983 in Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip came together with childhood friends Gordon Downie (vocals), Bobby Baker (guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass), and Johnny Fay (drums). The group took their name from a Michael Nesmith video entitled Elephant Parts and focused on making a name for themselves in the local scene during the mid-'80s. While performing Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern, MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson was impressed by the Hip's infectious live presence and offered them a deal. A self-titled eponymous EP appeared in 1987, but it took the band two years to get critical attention.

Their proper studio debut effort, 1989's Up to Here boasted the swagger of "Blow at High Dough" and Downie's powerful songcraft was blossoming. College charts were instantly attracted and fellow Canadians were appreciative of The Tragically Hip's insatiable appeal. Road Apples, issued in 1991, was moderately successful; however, the band's third album, Fully Completely (1993), allowed for international crossover. Singles such as "Courage" and "Wheat Kings" became mainstays in pockets of Michigan and New York; the Hip were slowly being noticed and American fans began cherishing them as much as their Canadian loyalists. They continued with a steady rise for 1995's somber storm, Day for Night, and their star power was burgeoning. Sold-out tours across Canada and Midwest America and a spot on Saturday Night Live catupulted the vibrance of "Grace, Too" onto modern rock charts. The Tragically Hip were becoming an anthemic band among the split indie and rock crowds, practically on the verge of being an arena attraction.

Trouble at the Henhouse, their first for Atlantic, was blistering with similar passion of Day for Night, but released too closely to the previous effort. It wasn't radio-friendly enough for America, either, but the band wasn't concerned. The Hip trudged on, selling out countless dates in North America. Downie, who was also a poetic madman, composed a frenzied stage presence and the band's tight rhythm was infectious. The mix of roots rock and light country tinges was something tangible for the mid-'90s grunge reign. While touring in support of Trouble at the Henhouse, the Hip recorded their first-ever live album, Live Between Us (1997). This particular album captured an astonishing night at Detroit's Cobo Arena in 1996 and was uncut and unfearing. The band was at the top of its game, never selling out to corporate ideals. They were a stadium sensation without ever having a major hit in America. The rest of the '90s were a time of rest, but also a period when the band returned to basics of true rock & roll grit.

Phantom Power (1998), the band's sixth studio album, eighth overall, marked their most cohesive work to date. It was also their debut for Sire Records. The album was recorded in the band's hometown of Kingston and the songs themselves were cathartic and seductive. "Fireworks" and "Poets" were again mainstays on college radio. A showcase at Woodstock '99 proved glorious for Canadians the next summer. Music @ Work followed in summer 2000 with subsequent U.S. tours with Guster. The next year, Gordon Downie put his pen to paper for a book of poetry and a solo album, entitled Coke Machine Glow. Downie returned to the studio in 2001 to join his bandmates for another Hip record. Producer Hugh Padgham (Split Enz, XTC, Phil Collins) was also on board to tweak The Tragically Hip's ninth record, In Violet Light, issued in June 2002. In Between Evolution, the band most instrospective work yet, followed in summer 2004. The following year saw the release of Hipeponymous, a limited-edition box set that included the two-disc greatest-hits compilation Yer Favorites and the live DVD That Night in Toronto: Pierre & Francois Lamoureux as well as a bonus DVD of all of the group's videos. Fellow Canadian and famed producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe) signed on for the Hip's 11th studio LP, World Container. Intimate club shows in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal were also scheduled in celebration of its release in fall 2006.

The Hip have recorded 15+ songs at The Bath House Recording Studio in Bath, Ontario, twelve of which will appear on their upcoming 12th album. Short videos showing the recording process of the new album have been posted at thehip.com, the newly re-launched official website of the band. A new live recording is also posted in the media player section of the frequently updated site. The new album is again produced by Bob Rock, will be released in North America on April 7th, 2009 and is titled We are the Same.

Tickets: $35.00, not including applicable fees. Tickets are on sale Friday, March 6 at 10am at Tickets.com, in person at the Paramount or Moore Theatres box offices, 24-hour kiosks located outside The Paramount & Moore Theatres, charge by phone at 877-STG-4TIX, or online at STGPresents.org.

About STG
Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

SEATTLE THEATRE GROUP
911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101 · Telephone (206) 467-5510 · Facsimile (206) 812-3272

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Tickets.com Launches B2B Site in Malaysia

Tickets.com launches new business-to-business website for Malaysia to enable clients, media, partners, and potential clients in Malaysia to find the information they need about Tickets.com ticketing solutions.

Tickets.com is a growing global company with thousands of entertainment, sports, and arts clients worldwide. The new Malaysia B2B website features a user-friendly interface that provides convenient access to information about Tickets.com products and services.

Visit the Tickets.com Malaysia B2B site >

Cubs to play Japanese World Baseball Classic Team

East Valley Living - EVLiving.com
By Associate Editor


The Chicago Cubs will play Japan in a spring training game on Thursday, March 12, 1:05 pm at Hohokam Stadium, 1235 N. Center St.

Japan and Korea have advanced to round two of the World Baseball Classic games that will be held in San Diego, CA on March 15. This will be your chance to see major league all-stars such as Ichiro Suzuki, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kenji Johjima, Ankinori Iwamura and Kosuke Fukudome playing for the Japanese team.

Ticket prices start at $7 and can be purchased at www.cubs.com or at the stadium Box Office, 1235 N. Center St., gate C from 9 am to 4 pm or call (480) 964-4467. You can also visit www.tickets.com or www.hohokamstadium.com for more information.

The World Baseball Classic is an international tournament for national teams to feature professional players from the major leagues in North America and Japan. This is the second edition of the event which is held every four years. Japan is currently the title holder for the World Baseball Classic.

For more information about the World Baseball Classic visit, www.worldbaseballclassic.com.

Moreno Will Defend World Title at Tachi Palace Casino

Moreno returns April 23
The Herald
By Dennis Taylor Ringside

Watsonville's Carina Moreno will defend her 105-pound world title April 23 at Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore against a yet-to-be-announced opponent, possibly former national amateur champ Chantel Cordova.

Moreno's trainer and co-manager, Rick Noble, said the 10-round title bout will hopefully be her last in the 105-pound weight class. She plans to move up to 108 pounds for a June 6 fight in New Zealand, although that show is still under negotiation and no opponent has been named.

Tickets for the Tachi Palace show may be obtained by calling 1-800-225-2277 or through Tickets.com.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Women’s D-II tourney tickets available

Tickets for the NCAA Division II Central Regional women’s basketball tournament, in which Minnesota State Moorhead will participate, are available at Minnesota State, Mankato.

By: Forum staff reports, INFORUM

The Dragons face Nebraska-Kearney at 8 p.m. Friday at the Taylor Center in the opening round of the tourney.

Tickets for adults are $8, $5 for children (ages 5-17) and senior citizens, and $3 for college students with ID. The ticket office will be open 90 minutes prior to the start of the first game of each day.

Fans may also purchase tickets online at www.msumavericks.com or tickets.com. One ticket is good for the entire day’s session, and online purchased can be picked up at the “will call” window at the Taylor Center.

Tickets.com Product Highlight: Uptix Stored Value

Uptix Stored Value Tickets Uptix Stored Value

Uptix broadens the traditional ticket function of event access by securely enabling individual tickets to store other kinds of data, such as cash value. These “loaded” tickets can then be used for redemption at various points of sale in your venue (e.g., concessions, retail stands). You can now offer a complete entertainment experience with a single event ticket! Uptix™ is jointly developed and provided in partnership with Givex®.

Learn more about Uptix stored value tickets >

Monday, March 9, 2009

Tickets.com Day at Hohokam Park

Baseball Spring Training Tickets Catch Baseball Spring Training! Tickets.com day is March 14 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. See the Chicago Cubs play the Los Angeles Angels at 1:05 PM.

Get Spring Training tickets now >

Sunday, March 8, 2009

WAC Tournament: New ticket option available

Reno-Gazette Journal
Staff Report


If you don't want to buy an all-session pass to the WAC Tournament but still want catch all the Wolf Pack's potential games, the University of Nevada is offering a bit of an alternative -- the "three-pack."

Fans can purchase a WAC three-pack and receive the same seat for the men's quarterfinals (choice of afternoon or evening session), semifinals and championship game at a discounted rate.

WAC three-packs are $75 and $105 compared to $90 and $120 if purchased separately. The afternoon three-pack includes Thursday's 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. quarterfinals, Friday's semifinals and Saturday's championship game. The evening three-pack includes Thursday's 6 p.m. (Nevada) and 8:30 p.m. quarterfinals, Friday's semifinals and Saturday's championship game.

All-session tickets will remain on sale until the tournament begins on March 10 and range in price from $110 to $145. All-session tickets can be purchased by visiting the Link Piazzo Ticket Office at Legacy Hall or by calling 348-7225, option No. 2.

Single-session tickets are also on sale now by visiting the Lawlor Events Center Box Office, calling 348-7225, option No. 1 or by going online at www.tickets.com. Each session includes two games (with the exception of the championship game session) and prices range from $30 to $40. The tournament runs March 10-14.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Stars of "Spinal Tap," "A Mighty Wind" to come to Paramount "Unwigged & Unplugged"

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will perform music from their film "mockumentaries" "This is Spinal Tap" (heavy metal) and "A Mighty Wind" (folk) at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on April 20.

By Marian Liu
Seattle Times staff reporter


Prepare a night of hilarity.

The trio behind the nutty mockumentary "A Mighty Wind" are hitting the road. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will perform folk music from their 2003 film satire, along with metal from their fake band from the 1984 film "This is Spinal Tap," on a six week, 30-city multimedia acoustic tour.

And true to their silly vibe, they promise a show without wigs and electric instruments.

Guest, McKean and Shearer will be at Seattle's Paramount on April 20. Tickets are $35 to $75, and go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, March 6 at www.tickets.com, at the 24-hour kiosks at the Paramount and Moore Theatres, or you can charge by phone at 206-STG-4TIX.

Along with "A Mighty Wind" and "Spinal Tap," Guest, McKean and Shearer have orchestrated such comedies as "Waiting For Guffman" (1996), "Best In Show" (2000) and "For Your Consideration" (2006).

To get a preview of their show — appropriately named, "Unwigged & Unplugged" — go to www.youtube.com/user/TAPUNWIGGED.

Friday, March 6, 2009

2009 First Community Bank State Basketball Championships

Cibola Beacon

The New Mexico Activities Association announced the price of tickets to the 2009 First Community Bank State Basketball Championships.

The tournament, March 10-14, will feature non-stop basketball action at The Pit, Santa Ana Star Center and Bernalillo High School.

Tournament passes cost $125 and may be purchased by calling 1-505-923-3110.

Advanced tickets for The Pit are available at the UNM Ticket Offices, on-line at www.unmtickets.com, by phone at 1-505-925-5858 or 1-800-905-3315 and at Tickets.com outlets. Chair back seats at The Pit cost $15 a day and general admission tickets will cost $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults.

Tickets.com Mobile In The News

Smartphones are transforming the mobile web, making m-commerce more viable. And more retailers are proving it.

Internet Retailer
By BIll Siwicki


Put simply, mobile commerce gives retailers a competitive advantage.

A shopper looking at HDTVs in a Best Buy store can access Sears2Go.com to compare prices at Sears, or vice versa with m.BestBuy.com when at a Sears store. Once he decides, he can make a purchase on the phone or head to the other store to get a better deal. A forgetful husband on the train to work can send chocolate overnight to his wife by using the Godiva mobile app on his iPhone. A film buff out with friends who’s told of a great new flick can order the DVD on the spot from Amazon.com via text message.

Pioneering retailers say they are gaining customers and building loyalty by putting their storefronts in consumers’ pockets and purses.

“We would be missing a golden opportunity if we did not offer customers mobile access to Newegg,” says Bernard Luthi, vice president of marketing at Newegg.com, which last year launched an m-commerce site. Luthi is marketing mobile to customers, encouraging them to comparison shop in competitors’ stores, then buy then and there via m.Newegg.com. “M-commerce is a powerful tool.”

Retailers have heard that before—but this time there’s a difference, and it’s called the smartphone. These phones, including Apple Inc.’s iPhone and its imitators, have significant computing power and make accessing the Internet from a mobile phone far easier than with conventional phones. Just as broadband made shopping online far more attractive, so, too, do these powerful smartphones change the game for m-commerce. Now retailers must learn the rules of the game, and quite a few are getting started.

A key to the growth of m-commerce, many retailers and analysts agree, is consumer adoption of the smartphone. Last year, North American consumers purchased 25.8 million smartphones, according to Yankee Group Research. The firm predicts consumers will buy 32.5 million smartphones this year, 41.9 million in 2010, 54.9 million in 2011 and 67.3 million in 2012.

Traffic statistics underscore the tie between mobile commerce and smartphones. 95% of traffic to m-commerce sites created by Usablenet comes from smartphones. The company’s retailer clients include 1-800-Flowers.com, Dell, GameFly, Ralph Lauren, Rugby, Sears, Strand Bookstore, Tickets.com and Victoria’s Secret.

“In the past, a lot of retailers that invested resources and effort in mobile were disappointed in results, which came from consumers having poor experiences on conventional phones,” says Dan Shust, director of emerging media at research and consulting firm Resource Interactive. “But the latest smartphones with their great visual experiences and added functionality like GPS location awareness change everything. Greater adoption of smartphones will lead to greater adoption of m-commerce.”

Here and now

Some retailers are jumping in. At least 40 online retailers, including 19 of the top 100, now have web sites optimized for mobile phones or offer shopping applications that can be downloaded to select smartphones.

Some of these retailers—including 1-800-Flowers.com, Amazon.com, Godiva Chocolatier, Newegg.com and Skymall—are reporting they are pleasantly surprised with sales coming in via m-commerce.

And several have more than a few months of experience to draw on. M-commerce actually began some time ago, in 2001, when Amazon.com launched its Amazon Anywhere site (consumers punch in Amazon.com on a mobile phone, which auto-redirects to a mobile-optimized version). In 2004, Moosejaw Mountaineering (which operates m-commerce site m.Moosejaw.com) sent its first marketing text message.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that m-commerce really began to grow, helped in large part by significant growth in the adoption of smartphones, led by the iPhone. In the last two years, a flurry of retailers have created text message marketing programs, m-commerce sites and downloadable mobile applications to reach out to consumers who keep wanting to do more with their phones.

In response, more vendors began offering m-commerce technology. These include mobile-focused companies like Digby, mPoria Inc. and Usablenet Inc., as well as e-commerce vendors that have added mobile functionality, such as CardinalCommerce Corp. and Escalate Retail. Industry analysts expect their number to grow as retailers in m-commerce today—most of whom rely on vendors for mobile offerings—achieve success, creating a wider market for mobile technology.

Messaging via text

For many retailers, text messaging has been the entry point for mobile commerce. American Eagle Outfitters, CVS, Drs. Foster and Smith, Fragrancenet.com, Gaiam, Ice.com, Karmaloop.com, Meijer, Moosejaw Mountain­eering, Vans and Walgreen are but a few of the growing number of retailers using text messages in marketing because the short messages engender immediacy (consumers tend to text messages much more quickly than they do e-mail) and intimacy (consumers virtually always carry their phones, much more personal devices than personal computers).

And text messaging offers something that m-commerce sites, mobile apps and even e-commerce sites and e-mail cannot offer: access to consumers sans the Internet. Text messages travel over the same wireless networks as mobile phone calls, and require no Internet access.

But text messaging is primarily a marketing vehicle. When it comes to making purchases, the action is in mobile web sites. Fully transactional m-commerce sites enable consumers to shop more or less like they would on an e-commerce site, except on a pared-down version. Still, m-commerce sites can provide shoppers access to the same number of products as e-commerce sites.

Such is the case with Skymall. Many of its potential customers are browsing its catalog while sitting in an airplane waiting to take off or stuck on the tarmac. The question becomes: What do they do when they find a product they want? Skymall answered that question with an m-commerce site, Mobile.Skymall.com.

“It’s a great opportunity for us for mobile selling—customers can complete transactions sitting on the plane,” says Jay Scannell, vice president of information technology at Skymall, which launched its m-commerce site, as well as a text messaging program, in July 2007 with the aid of CardinalCommerce. Later this year it will introduce a BlackBerry mobile app built with CardinalCommerce and Digby.

Skymall is ahead of the game when it comes to mobile applications, commonly called apps. Retail mobile apps are where m-commerce sites were three years ago—on the cusp of growth. But there’s no doubt mobile apps in general are popular: Apple’s App Store stocks 15,000 apps (including a handful for m-commerce, all free), with 500 million downloads since it opened in July. And Microsoft (Windows Mobile), Palm and Research in Motion (BlackBerry) are creating app stores for their devices.

Mobile apps offer a richer, quicker experience because they reside on the smartphone and can take advantage of its computing power and slick user interface. Much of the process of buying through an app can be completed on the phone itself, and needed data can be drawn directly from a retailer’s web server.

For instance, a music retailer’s app can be programmed to present music from a wide variety of artists, and the app accesses the retailer’s server when the customer chooses to buy. And the app is connecting directly to the server, not going through the slower interface of a web site.

Blazing apps

Retailers with mobile apps today definitely qualify as trailblazers. Indigo Books & Music Inc., for example, last month unveiled Shortcovers, a new division of the company that offers a mobile app for the iPhone with versions for BlackBerry, Android and Symbian mobile operating systems on the way. Shortcovers sells e-books and other publications in a variety of formats. It’s designed to compete with the likes of Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, and Indigo says it has an edge over these book-sized devices.

“Shortcovers is a service for anyone who wants instant access to content with the convenience of having that access from the device they already own,” says Michael Serbinis, executive vice president and chief information officer at Indigo. “Ultimately, a device like the Kindle is not something you will have with you all the time; your phone is.”

1-800-Flowers.com recently debuted its Mobile Gift Center app, which recreates the retailer’s e-commerce experience in a format optimized for the iPhone. Drs. Foster and Smith soon will launch an iPhone app that displays its entire catalog of products, with links to its e-commerce site for transactions. Godiva has an app that recreates its e-commerce site. And Delight.com offers a mobile app that highlights its deal of the day; it plans to launch a fully transactional app later this year.

Some retailers see mobile apps as an m-commerce game-changer, citing the richer experience and close connection—apps reside on mobile desktops—to customers. But most believe apps ultimately will complement m-commerce sites, not compete with them.

“In the next five years, apps and sites will be working together to fulfill different needs,” says Lynda Keeler, president and co-founder of Delight Networks, which operates Delight.com. “A perfect example is the New York Times. Its app gives me a very distilled, easy to use and navigate experience. Its mobile site offers access to a lot more content but it’s not always as easy to read or navigate. So the two work together to give readers what they want, the way they want it.”

Overall, some retailers are convinced m-commerce is on the way to joining stores, catalogs and web sites as a mainstream retailing channel.

“M-commerce absolutely is becoming the fourth sales channel,” says Kevin Ranford, director of web merchandising at 1-800-Flowers.com, which operates the mobile app, m-commerce site 1800Flowers.mobi and a text message marketing program. “It’s still emerging, and today we spend about 5% of our time and resources on it.”

As younger consumers so inextricably connected to their mobile phones age and their incomes grow, they’ll expect retailers to sell via phones—and m-commerce will be a full-fledged channel, says Scannell of Skymall.

“Mobile sales will be slow for a couple more years, but then a big bubble will come through the pipe and that will be a major wake-up call, showing everyone just how important this channel is,” he says.

Other retailers consider m-commerce important, but as a part of e-commerce, and have set up their m-commerce programs accordingly.

“Mobile is very tightly linked to our Internet business, and it will always be linked to e-commerce,” says Kimberly Land, vice president of Godiva Direct at Godiva Chocolatier. The gifts retailer sports mobile applications for the BlackBerry and iPhone and an m-commerce site (an auto-redirect, except for iPhones, from Godiva.com). “At the end of the day, you’re bringing someone to a site where they are inputting information and you’re fulfilling orders in the same way.”

Whether as its own channel or as a complement to e-commerce, m-commerce appears likely to play a big role in retailing in the decade ahead.

Learn about ProVenueMobile >

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Greek Tragedy Hits Greek Row In Play Premiering At UNM

The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Greek Row Tragedy,” an adaptation of “The Bacchae of Euripides,” written by award-winning playwright Mars Mráz and directed by Paul Ford, lecturer. In this modern take on a Greek classic, a chorus of sorority members sweeps across a university campus in a Dionysian frenzy.

It’s Greek Week at the University of America, and Amanda and her sisters of the Mu Nu Delta Sorority House are running out of time. The Greek Sing Showcase is tomorrow night and they still don’t have a dance routine.

Desperate to win, they seek the help of legendary dance instructor, Dean Isos. This twisted choreographer, who lost his position as “Dean of Dance” on charges of sexual misconduct, has faded into obscurity and carries with him a disdain for Americans and American popular culture. Seeing this as an opportunity to seek revenge on the university, he agrees to choreograph the routine.

On arriving at the Sorority House, he immediately takes charge and mesmerizes the Sorority Sisters with his dangerous and alluring charm. Can Peter, Amanda’s boyfriend, stop him?

Mráz, completing an M.F.A. in dramatic writing this spring, has composed original music for “Greek Row Tragedy,” blending modern hip-hop/dance beats and vocal styles with elements of ancient overtones of percussion and flutes. Graduate student Ashley Miller joins the production team as choreographer.

The play contains adult language and situations, and is recommended for mature audiences only. Shows times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, March 5-14 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m., at UNM’s Rodey Theatre, Center for the Arts. A special panel discussion will be held after the performance on Friday, March 6.

Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 faculty and seniors, or $8 UNM staff and students and are available at UNM Ticket Offices, 925-5858 or Tickets.com.

Also playing in March are Two One-Acts: “Tibetan Mountain Boat” and “Thou Art Villain,” and “Impulse,” a showcase of student choreographers. For more information, call 277-3660.

Tickets.com Presenting at Customer Experience Summit in Chicago

Tickets.com will be presenting at the Customer Experience Summit being held March 30 – April 2, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

At the Customer Experience Summit, senior level practitioners will provide real world insights on what it takes to achieve a world-class customer experience with measurable bottom line results. Attendees will leave with immediate opportunities to enhance the cost effectiveness of customer experience programs and prove an increased ROI, act on complaint and Voice of the Customer feedback, and turn loyalty customers into advocated by spreading positive word of mouth.

Sheri Fink, Online Marketing Manager at Tickets.com will be presenting a session on Tuesday, March 31st titled Implementing Successful New Online Marketing Partnerships. This session will allow attendees to learn ways to drive additional revenue while enhancing the online customer experience. Strategic insights include:
  • Cultivating innovative partnerships that add value to customers and the bottom line

  • Leveraging mobile to provide a seamless customer experience

  • Integrating new opportunities across your organization

  • Measuring the success of your efforts

The audience for this event is anyone responsible for the overall experience and satisfaction of your customers, including Customer Engagement & Experience, Customer Care & Client Services, Retention & Loyalty Programs, Call & Contact Centers, Customer Insight & Satisfaction, Consumer Affairs, E-commerce & Retail, Marketing, Public Relations & Corporate Communications, Web Site Design & IT, Financial Analysis & Reporting, Operations & Planning.

For more information or to sign up, visit www.customerexperiencesummit.com or call 1-800-882-8684. Tickets.com clients get a 20% discount – provide code CESTC20 when registering for your discount.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

ProVenueMobile In The News: Dramabiz's "Green Theatre Product"

Tickets.com's ProVenueMobile
The First Mobile Web site that Enables Customers to Buy and Receive Tickets Through Their Mobile Phones

Dramabiz - February 2009

ProVenueMobile Video Tickets.com, a global provider of integrated ticketing solutions recently launched ProVenueMobile. The new system lets the ticket buyer complete a ticket transaction from any Internet-enabled mobile phone device including Blackberrys, iPhones and basic cell phones. The customer gets a bar coded ticket directly to their mobile phones and all they have to do is present their mobile phones for a scanned entry into the venue. Convenient and green.

For more information on this product, visit the Tickets.com Web site at www.tickets.com, or request more information by selecting Tickets.com on the BizAdvisor page at www.dramabiz.com/bizadv.htm.

The Bird and the Bee at The Barns at Wolf Trap

Live!
Who: The Bird and the Bee, Obi Best What: 8 p.m., Wednesday Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap, Vienna

Washington Post
By MARIANNE MEYER

In presenting the highly buzzed-about Los Angeles-based duo The Bird and The Bee, the Wolf Trap Barns are providing a public service to all Northern Virginia suburbanites who fear that living outside the District lessens their indie-music street cred. The group, singer Inara George and keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, are at the tipping point of a mainstream breakthrough while keeping one foot -- with happy, tapping toes -- firmly in the hipster alternative music scene.

George, the daughter of Lowell George, frontman for the 1970s blues-rock band Little Feat, met Kurstin, an in-demand Los Angeles studio player, when he was brought in to play on her solo album, "All Rise," released on the small Everloving Records label in 2004. The two discovered a shared affection for old pop standards and began writing together, with George providing lyrics and melodies, and Kurstin overseeing instruments and production.

The couple's delightful self-titled debut arrived in January 2007 on the esteemed Blue Note Records label, and since then, their mix of easy-to-hum melodies and Brazilian tropicalia influences, along with sly, subtle humor and headphone-worthy production elements, have brought them critical acclaim. The two years since have kept the Bird and the Bee busy.

The duo's cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" appeared in last year's "Sex and the City" movie and has been featured in promo spots for VH1. Another cover, of Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music," was featured as a free online download, and one can only hope that the pair's lounge-worthy take on Hall & Oates's "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" will be shared down the road as well.

The two also marked the year with side projects: George released her second solo album, "An Invitation," collaborating with reclusive composer/arranger Van Dyke Parks. Kurstin, who has written and produced tracks for Britney Spears, took on production duties for singer Lily Allen's highly anticipated second album, "It's Not Me, It's You."

George and Kurstin also made their first appearance at the prestigious Coachella festival as part of a wide-ranging tour that spawned "Live at the Sands," an exclusive live EP for iTunes. Two other EPs bridged the gap between the debut album and the act's second full-length album, "Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future," released a few weeks ago (also on Blue Note).

While holding firm to the pair's penchant for airy vocals, lightly psychedelic pop and bubbling electronic beats, the new CD offers a bigger, bouncier sound, which the band's press bio attributes to honing material on the road in front of audiences willing to dance.

The album's first single, "Love Letter to Japan," is an irresistible chant-along appreciation of the island nation and "all the gifts that you have given me/the patience and the peace, cherry blossoms and the candy."

"Witch" has a sultry, cinematic sound that could serve as the theme for a James Bond movie, and "Polite Dance Song" gives George the chance to coo, with playful irony, "Shake it like you just don't care" and boast of the tune's "crazy, kick-ass beat."

Such incongruity is part of the Bird and the Bee's charm, with deceptive lyrical barbs under the placid surface, as in the first CD's club hit, "[Expletive deleted] Boyfriend," a remix of which went to the top spot on Billboard magazine's Hot Dance Club Play chart. What sounds like lightweight pop at first grows more intriguing with each new spin. A song such as "Lifespan of a Fly" is whimsical but not wimpy, and for all the sweetness of George's soprano, the results are never saccharine.

The Bird and the Bee's current tour is a short run -- 11 cities (including a show at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum) -- which will wrap up in New York three days after the Wolf Trap show at Carnegie Hall's intimate Zankel Hall. Having the act play at the Barns is a coup. Don't miss it.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Barns at Wolf Trap are at 1635 Trap Rd., Vienna.

Tickets are $20 through tickets.com, 877-965-3872, or through http://www.wolftrap.org. Obi Best, a Los Angeles-based quartet led by another intriguing female vocalist, Alex Lilly, will open the show with selections from its just-released debut album, "Capades."

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Tickets.com Product Highlight: Event Ticket Insurance

Tickets.com Event Ticket Insurance Event Ticket Insurance

Sell more tickets in advance and strengthen customer relationships! Offer buyers the ability to insure their highly prized tickets against unforeseen circumstances through a simple opt-in click. Then, if a traffic accident, medical issue, work obligation, or other covered reason prevents an insured ticket buyer from attending the event, 100% of the paid ticket price (including taxes and shipping costs) will be returned to the customer.

Learn more about Event Ticket Insurance >

Monday, March 2, 2009

Brewers Set Single-Day Ticket Sales Record

Brewers Set Single-Day Ticket Sales Record By Moving 104,000 Tickets On Saturday

Sports Business Daily – Monday, March 2, 2009

In Milwaukee, Ben Poston reported the Brewers "set a single-day ticket sales record Saturday, selling 104,000 tickets in the first six hours" that single-game tickets were on sale. The previous record "was 98,000 tickets sold last year during the entire day of the same Arctic Tailgate event, which kicks off the season for ticket buyers." Poston noted more than 1,000 Brewers fans "turned out at Miller Park early Saturday morning and stood in line for hours to score opening-day and single-game tickets." The Brewers already have "sold out of individual-game tickets for six games" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/1). Brewers Exec VP/Business Operations Rick Schlesinger: "We had fans here 10 days ago asking to pitch tents, but for their own safety we asked them to wait until Wednesday. We've never had anything like it before" (MLB.com, 2/28).

Find Brewers tickets >

STG Presents THIEVERY CORPORATION 4/21 At The Paramount

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) presents Thievery Corporation on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 8:00pm at the Paramount Theatre.

Recording in their Washington DC based studio, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, better known as the international production and DJ duo Thievery Corporation, have released their fifth studio album, Radio Retaliation, through their independent music label ESL Music. The 15-track opus features the duo collaborating with a roster of International all-stars to create the strongest statement yet from Thievery Corporation.

"Apart from a few independent bastions, there is no musical or informational freedom on the US airwaves anymore. The traditional public commons have been sold to the highest corporate bidders. Music is suffering and society is suffering too. Radio Retaliation is about an exodus of conscious people who are willing to acknowledge something is wrong with the 'official version' in news and culture. Therefore, we need to create our own channels," explains Hilton.

The tone of the album underscores the freedom of expression that only independent outlets can provide in a society dominated by corporate sponsors and agendas. Garza and Hilton have long positioned themselves as fiercely independent voices within the music industry, successfully building their label over the past decade through continued belief that great music will find its audience - with or without US commercial radio assistance.

"Unfortunately our daily experiences via mediated radio, print and televised programming are primarily the results of hype, propaganda, and calls to consume. From fake wars, fake celebrities, a fake political system - Rob and I checked out of it long ago," Hilton says. "It's more important to do something we truly believe in and let people experience it uncensored and real."

Washington DC has long been home to a music subculture legendary for strong, independent artists, a staunch do-it-yourself work ethic, and conscientious social activism. This was especially exemplified by genre-defining pioneers like indie punk rockers Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Fugazi. Likewise, although some may lazily pin Thievery Corporation as the soundtrack to their cocktail infused late night soiree, the duo have always drawn deep from the well of independent and confrontational music subculture their home town is known for, to produce an ever expanding globally conscious catalogue of music that is difficult to classify.

Starting in 1996 with two international underground hit vinyl singles "Shaolin Satellite" and "2001 Spliff Odyssey," released on ESL Music, Garza and Hilton soon released Sounds from The Thievery Hi-Fi; an album that defined a genre and crystallized their distinct "outernational sound" aesthetic. Over the next decade the duo would remix the likes of David Byrne, The Doors, and Sarah McLachlan, and record three more critically acclaimed albums of original material, each one transcending the last in scope, style, and message: The Mirror Conspiracy (2000), The Richest Man in Babylon (2002), and The Cosmic Game (2005).

"This record is also our most internationally oriented," adds Garza, describing how Radio Retaliation touches upon the eclectic sounds of Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. "The roots of our inspiration have always come from what is happening globally, and at the moment there is so much that demands the attention of all of us."

With Radio Retaliation, Thievery Corporation raise the bar with a new cast of musical collaborators, including Nigeria's afro-beat heir Femi Kuti, Brazilian star vocalist and guitarist Seu Jorge, Indian sitar virtuoso Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse and violinist Jana Andevska, and Washington DC's own go-go originator Chuck Brown. Also returning are long time microphone co-conspirators Sleepy Wonder, Lou Lou, Notch, Zee, and Verny Varela.

A defining element of Thievery Corporation's sound has always been its decidedly organic quality and this is clearly evident in the rich productions of Radio Retaliation and recent live tour dates. Despite their minimal beginnings, Garza and Hilton have adopted a growing cast of collaborators over the years, vital musicians and vocalists who contribute to a dynamic 15 member live band. Playing sold out venues and festivals worldwide, Thievery Corporation dazzle thousands of music fans every year with their kaleidoscopic live show.

With the help of long time partners, the UN World Food Programme, Thievery Corporation also aim to provoke conscientious thought among their audience. Garza explains, "We definitely want to contribute to the opening of ears, eyes, and minds. With our live shows it's a poignant example of music and culture mixing together in an explosive vibrant way. To see a Persian singer singing in Farsi, as America debates on a war with Iran, next to other band members from all corners of the earth singing in Spanish, Portuguese, French and so on, it makes people wonder... and if you can get people to question the things around them, just a little, then that's not such a bad thing."

Tickets: $35.00, not including applicable fees. Tickets went on sale Saturday, February 28 at 10am at Tickets.com, in person at the Paramount or Moore Theatres box offices, 24-hour kiosks located outside The Paramount & Moore Theatres, charge by phone at 877-STG-4TIX, or online at STGPresents.org.

About STG
Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.