Live Nation's new business idea

According to Live Nation:

Here's how it works. Beginning today concert fans go to LiveNation.com and purchase a Club Passport. A list of participating shows will be immediately available. Every Monday thereafter, Passport holders log on to LiveNation.com/Passport or follow LiveNation on Facebook or Twitter to see the list of participating club shows in their city and to reserve their ticket. From here, Club Passport holders just bring their Live Nation Club Passport number and photo I.D. to the club's box office and get right in, no extra charges, no hassles.

I'll admit that Live Nation's new Club Passport, which is offering concertgoers access to many, many events for low price of $49.95, sounds pretty good on the surface. However, there are many problems that are easy to perceive.

The first is the number of venues. It's great if you live in Los Angeles, I suppose. The number of venues in that area that this pass will get you into is impressive--around five if I understand my geography correctly. New York has only got two (the Fillmore and The Gramercy). Any other market is lucky to get one. The options, in other words, are fairly limited.

The other problem are the details. "Participating shows," "if...the show's not sold out," and other terms little things like that are in there. It sounds like a good idea, but anyone who has ever been to CMJ or SXSW knows how this works. The popular shows fill up fast, and this pass will probably not get you in. Part of the goal is to get people into unsold seats at lesser known shows. However, if an act can't sell out a place like The Fillmore NY, maybe they shouldn't be playing The Fillmore NY in the first place.

I got to give Live Nation credit for the effort though, and maybe they'll prove me wrong. Maybe this new idea WILL work, and people will get to see tons of shows for the price of one or two.

Participating venues:
Avalon - Los Angeles, CA
Bogart's - Cincinatti, OH
Egyptian Room at the Murat Theatre - Indianapolis, IN
The Fillmore Auditorium - Denver, CO
The Fillmore Charlotte - Charlotte, NC
The Fillmore Miami Beach - Miami Beach, FL
The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza - New York, NY
The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
The Fillmore Detroit - Detroit, MI
Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
Hollywood Palladium - Hollywood, CA
House of Blues Anaheim - Anaheim, CA
House of Blues Boston - Boston, MA
House of Blues Chicago - Chicago, IL
House of Blues Cleveland - Cleveland, OH
House of Blues Dallas - Dallas, TX
House of Blues Houston - Houston, TX
House of Blues Las Vegas - Las Vegas, NV
House of Blues Sunset Strip - West Hollywood, CA
House of Blues Myrtle Beach - North Myrtle Beach, SC
House of Blues New Orleans - New Orleans, LA
House of Blues Orlando - Lake Buena Vista, FL
House of Blues San Diego - San Diego, CA
Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA