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Ticketmaster announces initiative to make it easier for disabled music fans to buy tickets

By | Published on Friday 1 November 2019

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has announced a new service to allow disabled music fans to more easily book accessible tickets online. The new option will initially be available for shows at arena venues in Glasgow and Cardiff with plans to roll it out more widely.

It follows the 2018 report from accessibility charity Attitude Is Everything which found that more than 80% of disabled gig-goers had been put off going to shows because it was hard to access the tickets they needed or to provide information about their accessibility requirements through online booking platforms. Many had had to pay extra to be able to buy a ticket online or been given no option to purchase online at all.

Announcing his firm’s bid to tackle this issue, Ticketmaster’s Andrew Parsons says: “At Ticketmaster we believe equal access to live entertainment is paramount. We knew we had to do more for disabled fans and our team has worked hard on this ground-breaking technology that endeavours to make ticket buying simple for all. Every fan should have the same access to the events they love, it’s an ongoing process and one we continue to prioritise”.

Welcoming the development, Attitude Is Everything CEO Suzanne Bull adds: “I’m delighted that Ticketmaster’s accessible ticket sales will go online. This is real progress for millions of disabled fans who are entitled to a variety of ways in which they can book their tickets. In designing their new service, Ticketmaster has worked closely with us and our Ticketing Without Barriers Coalition to achieve the five steps to inclusive ticketing that we set out in our February 2018 ‘State Of Access Report. We wish them every success”.

With Ticketmaster’s new functionality, within 24 hours of booking a ticket, disable fans will be able to submit their accessibility requirements via the Ticketmaster site. Once this has been done once, the system will remember this information for future bookings.



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