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Ticketmaster is going paperless, but not in an effort to save trees, but rather to cut down on scalping.
Winnipeg's MTS Centre will be the first venue in Canada to test-drive the new paperless system for "prime seats" when Metallica plays there Oct. 12, announced the ticketing giant and the arena Thursday.
The Winnipeg arena will be the first venue in Canada equipped with scanners to validate buyers' credit cards instead of paper tickets, and is designed to thwart scalpers.
The Metallica show will be the starting point for this new system; moving forward from there every MTS Centre show will use the system to sell the best 20% of seats.
"We're the first (in Canada) because we've been really aggressive in getting Ticketmaster to help us come up with a solution (to combat) unauthorized reselling of prime tickets through the Internet," said Kevin Donnelly, senior vice-president and general manager of the MTS Centre. "We want to control the best seats in the house in a manner that the buyer is the user."
The paperless ticket system only applies to 20% of tickets being sold -- the 20% being the "best seats in the house," leaving some critics skeptical.
Since the system does not apply to all tickets being sold it has done little to alleviate critics' concerns over scalping or online price mark-ups by Ticketmaster affiliate TicketsNow.
Donnelly said the system does have limitations but the "pros far outweigh the cons."
"We're not trying to inconvenience the fans. We're trying to put these tickets back in the hands of local people so they can get them at face value."
The system works with an "electronic ticket" that is registered on the buyer's credit card. When the buyer enters the concert, he or she will have to swipe the credit card through a scanner to obtain entry. A chit will be printed to show the seat number and permit the ticket holder to go in and out.
If four tickets have been purchased, the credit card must be swiped four times.
The new system will not change the fees charged by Ticketmaster.
Hannah Kampf, spokeswoman for Ticketmaster Entertainment, said the company doesn't determine whether or not paperless ticketing will be available for events.
