British broadcaster Sky struck out when it attempted to get into music-streaming with its Sky Songs service – it shut down in late 2010. Now the company is returning to music in a different field: ticketing. Sky already has a Sky Tickets subsidiary, which has focused more on sports. Now it has acquired British startup Una Tickets as part of its ongoing expansion into music. Or, as director Mark Guymer told IQ, the acquisition is not a “concerted effort to push into live music, as this is an area that has always been of interest to us. However, with its end-to-end capability it will no doubt give us even more of a presence”. Una’s Oyster Card-style ‘Una Pass’ has been renamed ‘Sky Pass’ – a physical RFID-toting device that will store people’s tickets; prove their age; and enable them to spend money inside venues. “With the mass adoption of smartphones for consumer content, it’s interesting to consider what ticketing’s going to look like when it’s a fully mobile experience,” said Guymer.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…