Amazon's push into the live music business, which includes a ticketing unit in the U.K. and plans for expansion in the U.S., now includes a series of concerts reserved exclusively for Prime members. Prime Live Events will focus on bringing notable artists to intimate and unique venues, beginning with Blondie performing at Round Chapel in Hackney, a borough in London, on May 23.
Other Prime Live Events scheduled for June and July include Alison Moyet on June 12 at the Round Chapel; British band Texas will play Porchester Hall on June 16; and Katie Melua is slated for two nights (July 25, 26) at the Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. The capacities at all the spaces range from 600 to 770. More artists and dates will be announced every Tuesday or so. Prime members can get more info at a dedicated website.
All of these events will be filmed and made available to Prime members internationally, so even U.S. customer can watch.
"We want to offer Prime members the best live entertainment experience they’ve ever had by giving them the chance to see their favourite artists perform up close and personal in iconic and intimate venues," said Geraldine Wilson, General Manager of Amazon Tickets.
Prime members in the U.K. also now have wider access to Amazon Tickets pre-sales for various events, giving them a 24-hour head start before the gen-pop gets access.
Earlier this year, Amazon hired music business veteran Lawrence Peryer to be its director of tickets in the United States. The online retail giant's ticketing unit, which launched in the U.K. in 2015, describes itself as a "start-up with a vision of becoming Earth’s most customer-centric ticketing company." In November 2016, it was reported that Amazon's careers site was packed with ticketing-related jobs based in Seattle, including ones in business development and a host of engineers, but the company has stayed relatively mum on its plans.
