British music journalism website and former magazine NME (New Musical Express) has announced that they are entering a live music listings partnership with DICE.
On their website, DICE states that they are ” the best platform to discover and buy tickets for your next amazing concert experience” and that “the world’s best artists all work closely with us to make sure their tickets go to their fans, not scalpers.” To fight against ticket touting, DICE’s services are 100% mobile.
NME is DICE’s first media partner. In a statement to MusicWeek, NME editor Charlotte Gunn called DICE’s methods “game-changing” and that they are excited about their partnership “so we can do our bit to make live music fairer for fans, artists, and venues.”
Russ Tannen, chief revenue officer at DICE, in his own statement to MusicWeek, said “thousands of people discover artists and book tickets to their shows through NME.com each week. I want those fans to know that each time they buy a ticket through NME, they’re supporting our fight against touts.”
Moving away from the physical market seems to be the new direction for NME as they stopped the print edition of their magazine last year, and are now moving into the world of mobile ticket sales. While the ability to buy concert tickets online is more convenient, it has greatly increased the presence of scalpers and the risk of buying fake resale tickets. While ticket companies and artists themselves have been working to stop scalping, the vastness of the Internet makes it difficult to stop.
Looking at DICE’s website they are a company who puts the artists and the fans first, unfortunately, a rare thing to find in the corporate nature of ticket companies. In a world where artists make most of their income from merchandising and touring, DICE looks like a great option to consider when trying to combat scalpers.
NME is an influential magazine, and can potentially use their connections with labels and their artists to drive them to DICE, and vice versa. It looks like a great relationship that will not only benefit both parties but the artists and fans as well.
Absolute Music 