SeatGeek Open Looks to Take on Ticketmaster

Can a simple start-up take down Ticketmaster? Don't hold your breath. However, it's certainly possible that SeatGeek and its new SeatGeek Open platform could at least carve out a little bit of the action—especially for event managers that might be turned off by the fees companies like Ticketmaster demand for their services

SeatGeek Open is designed to let groups and event spaces sell their own tickets directly to interested parties via mobile apps and websites. The "open" aspect refers to the fact that other companies, like Uber, could tie SeatGeek Open's ticketing directly into their own services. Using that example, a person could both summon a ride to a venue and purchase tickets for an event without ever having to leave the same application—convenient for those looking to have a one-stop app for their evening plans.

"Ticketing has long been a closed industry, one that hasn't been positively impacted by the power of technology in the same way many other industries have. We believe the open ecosystem we've built will transform the way people access tickets, allowing fans to go to more live events and teams and artists to reach more fans," said Jack Groetzinger, SeatGeek co-founder, in a statement.

Given the company's background in the secondary ticketing market, it should come as little surprise that SeatGeek is also looking to make ticket reselling a bit easier and more secure with SeatGeek Open.

"SeatGeek Open will eliminate fraud by allowing for verification of ticket barcodes across a variety of ticket sellers. Historically, the resale verification solutions offered by teams and ticketing companies have been restricted to only a single officially-sanctioned resale marketplace. Through SeatGeek Open, ticket resale verification technology will be made widely available to third-party sellers such as StubHub or Gametime to verify that a ticket is valid before posting, allowing fans to buy and sell from any site they choose without fear that their ticket may not work at the gate," reads SeatGeek's description.

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SeatGeek Open will also allow those selling tickets to have more control over their costs. That includes introducing dynamic pricing into the mix, which should incentivize those looking to go to a concert or sporting event to buy their tickets early before prices go up as the event gets closer. (Conversely, it's possible that dynamic pricing would allow event organizers to lower costs if they just aren't getting the traction they need for a particular event.)

Expect to see SeatGeek Open debut around some soccer events, as the company recently became the official ticketing partner for Major League Soccer. Sporting Kansas City will be the first club team to use SeatGeek as its primary ticketing platform.