O2  today announced it is  extending its partnership and interactive services with live music company Live Nation across the UK to a further eleven venues.

From 1 January, eleven Live Nation/Academy Music Group (AMG) venues will be renamed as O2 Academies with the operator’s subscribers offered priority access. O2 expects around 3.5m fans to be affected by the decision, which will offer subscriber’s special early opportunities to purchase tickets to around 4,000 events each year up to 48 hours before they go on general release.

The question needs to be asked if you are not a O2 subscriber  does this then mean that you as a punter get treated as second class? In terms of purchasing tickets to any of the said venues yes as you will only get options to purchase tickets two days after O2 subscribers.

An extension of O2′s current interactive services at the O2 Arena with its technology partner MIG, to the new range of venues is also scheduled. Technologies such as mobile ticketing and near field communications (NFC) will be rolled out to the new venues, which include Brixton, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Fans will be offered the chance to download exclusive music content from relevant artists to their phones. Does this herald the push for On Device Portals (ODPs) in the live music world- for which TMV has long been an advocate?

John Northcote, CEO for the Academy Music Group, said:

‘O2 has a dedicated programme and track record of rewarding its customers and embracing new methods of communication, as well as supporting new and emerging artists.’

I get John’s comments regarding 02 embracing new communication methods, but I’m yet to see O2 supporting new and emerging artists in terms of live shows (please feel free to correct me). Yes O2 put on a festival in Hyde Park and sponsor the O2 Arena but I’m yet to see any grassroots support of emerging artists via the O2 brand.

On a final note, teaming up with consumer brands is all fine and dandy but do venues reflect on the backlash from fans frequenting AMG venues whom do not get priority access? As we move into the future I do believe events need to become operator and handset agnostic so music fans are not discriminated against based on device or operator.

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