I don't think anyone got to the bottom as to whether or not the registration process really was to blame for the slow ticket sales at Glastonbury. If it was that won't please those in the live sector who continue to get angry about the growth of ticket touting - especially online touting that utilises the plethora of websites designed to allow punters to resell gig tickets for profit - given Glastonbury's registration system is one of the most sophisticated efforts to combat these touts in the market.
Ticketing touting, or secondary ticketing, was a big issue in 2007 of course. It didn't capture quite so many headlines this year, which could be because some in the live sector have accepted it's something now so established there's nothing they can do to stop it. Certainly big players in the secondary ticketing market have been acting as if they have more legitimacy this year, and the fact ticketing giant TicketMaster bought two of them - TicketsNow in the US and Get Me In in the UK - helped with that.
That said, when I asked Harvey Goldsmith, a very vocal opponent of secondary ticketing, about the issue at the MUSExpo event in October, he seemed certain a combination of new ticketing technology and possible legislation could as yet combat the phenomenon. More stories like those circulating this year of rogue touting sites ripping off consumers might also have an impact. I'm not 100% convinced secondary ticketing will ever be stopped though, but let's see what happens in 2009.
2009 will certainly be an interesting year in ticketing in general given the ever evolving Live Nation's plans to launch its own ticketing agency next year - plans that have developed considerably this year. That move will see TicketMaster lose an important client and gain a big new rival overnight. The recently independent TicketMaster, which has also been diversifying this year by buying into artist agency Frontline management, will need to step up its marketing to maintain its dominance in a newly competitive market place.