Following multiple reports claiming that Ticketmaster will require concert attendees to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the ticketing giant has clarified their stance on the matter.
A number of outlets have covered the Live Nation subsidiary’s purported concert-attendance stipulations, which reportedly include fans’ showing that they’d received the COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test as a condition for entry to events. Now, after more than a few prospective attendees and industry professionals have voiced their opinions, Ticketmaster has elaborated upon its position in a statement.
“We imagine there will be many third-party health care providers handling vetting – whether that is getting a vaccine, taking a test, or other methods of review and approval – which could then be linked via a digital ticket so everyone entering the event is verified,” Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich indicated, emphasizing that the company itself will not check ticketholders’ vaccination or testing statuses.
“Ticketmaster’s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events, and is working to create integrations to our API and leading digital ticketing technology as we will look to tap into the top solutions based on what’s green-lit by officials and desired by clients,” concluded Yovich, who was promoted to global president of Ticketmaster in August, ahead of Jared Smith’s quick-approaching departure.
Separately, a company official said that this possible third-party expansion to Ticketmaster’s health-screening capabilities wouldn’t usher in universal entry or safety requirements. Event organizers, however, could potentially opt to require proof of a COVID vaccine or test prior to entry. And it’s in these instances that customers’ test results and vaccine statuses, “linked via a digital ticket,” may come into play.
The latter is particularly noteworthy because Ticketmaster’s recently revealed “SmartEvent” tech solutions, which are designed to help venues and promoters safely welcome back audiences. As part of the SmartEvent “contactless box office,” fans would simply scan their digital tickets (on their cell phones) into a machine. This system would make it easier for organizers to “to facilitate contact tracing if desired,” Ticketmaster relayed.
Earlier this week, after news of Pfizer’s successful COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials broke, Live Nation (LYV) stock experienced a 29 percent boost, with shares closing at $64.36 apiece on Monday. The figure represented Live Nation’s highest-per share value since prior to the pandemic, and the price has largely held steady in the interim. At the time of publishing, LYV was trading for $66.01.