Ticketing Events Will Never be the Same, Brown Paper Tickets is on the Move Again

Ticketing Events Will Never be the Same, Brown Paper Tickets is on the Move Again

SEATTLE, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Paper Tickets is moving beyond shaking up the ticketing industry to being a market leader and innovator. Having set off in 2000 to bring Ticketmaster-like tools to any event of any size for free, they have now raised the bar with features not available anywhere else, at any price, and they're giving them away to event producers. And yes, the ticket buyer service fees are still the lowest in the ticketing industry.

The formula for Brown Paper Ticket's success over the last 9 years is based on service and transparency. Providing access to all services; a massive tool set built to handle any conceivable event, which includes physical ticketing fulfillment and 24-hour phone service, gave wings to Brown Paper Tickets expansion nationwide, as well as into Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. Ticketing 50,000 events in 2009, over 15,000 registered producers, and booking over 300,000 free tickets to free events this year alone, Brown Paper Tickets is a company that has bucked the recession and continues to grow at an average rate of 200% per year.

The latest features, some altogether new within the ticketing industry, will now cast the rebel ticketing service in a new role: market leader.

   --  The current Sponsorship Match-Making Service, which helps the little       guys get properly positioned in front of sponsors, is now rolling out       as an online tool.  Now anyone from a corporate giant to a local pizza       parlor can target their demographic.  "Sponsorship is do-or-die for       some events, but it takes time to find opportunities or nurture       sponsor relationships.  And potential sponsors need to find events,       but they also need a clear read on ROI, so this new tool is something       they really love." says Kat Fitzgerald, Director of Communications at       Brown Paper Tickets, "I feel like we're launching the 'eHarmony' of       sponsorship."   --  Event Promotions is another free service designed for event producers       to gain visibility in their local markets.  "It's not hard to get the       word out if you are plugged into a smart system. We've got features       making it easy to do things like automating Twitter, Facebook and       MySpace posts, a wizard that generates a ready-to-send Press Release       for a producer, and the automation of feeds to all the popular       directories. We even have a Media Pool giving tickets to the press so       they attend and review shows." says Kat Fitzgerald.   --  The "Open Ticket Network" allows any retailer with an Internet       connection and a printer to become a ticket seller and earn a       commission.  It will expand the definition of a box office.  Local       cafes, record shops or any other event producer partner earns 50 cents       a ticket and customers can pick up show tickets with their coffee.    

If that isn't enough to make the competition cringe, Brown Paper Tickets announced that with the launch of the 5.0 version of their website earlier this month they are lowering their service fees and making them flat fees - no more percentages to calculate. The flat fee structure is now 99 cents for tickets under $10 or $1.99 for over $10, with no credit card fees or hidden charges, and free ticketing to free events.

With these new ticketing features, the nimble Seattle-based company has challenged the entire market; from monetized RSVP-managers like Eventbrite, to the big-money ticketers like Ticketmaster. Brown Paper Tickets is the only company currently competing at all levels of the industry.

Not fazed by the tactics of companies like Ticketmaster, Brown Paper Tickets asserts the "Not-Just-For-Profit" philosophy has legs for the long-term success of the company, as well as driving improvement in the ticketing industry. "We're really just getting started. We're no longer fixing the industry, we're making it better." says Steve Butcher, CEO of Brown Paper Tickets, "As we continue to offer more service for less cost, the ticketing industry is starting to catch on. We haven't had to compromise our standards. Our growth is proof the model works. We're still privately held with no venture capital, still open source, and still ticketing anything."

About Brown Paper Tickets: Privately owned and founded in 2000, Brown Paper Tickets is a primary ticketing service working with event producers, artists and venues of all sizes across the US, Canada, the UK and Europe, with a 24/7 call center in English, French and Spanish. Brown Paper Tickets is a "Not-Just-For-Profit" company - the goal isn't making the most money, but rather to fix the industry by offering more service for less.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Brown Paper Tickets

CONTACT: Kat Fitzgerald of Brown Paper Tickets, 1-800-838-3006, ext.
7048, Cell, +1-925-437-8752, Kat@BrownPaperTickets.com

Web Site: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment