(Umzekeliso kaNeil Webb) Kwiveki ephelileyo yasebusuku, ibhinqa eliselula elonwabileyo elinxibe isikipa esibomvu se-TodayTix lime ngaphandle komnyango weWalter Kerr Theatre, ikhaya Isikhokelo sikaGentleman kuLuthando kunye nokubulala , ephethe iimvulophu ezingama-21 zamatikiti ebroadway.
Abadlali beqonga beqokelela amatikiti kuye-kwaye hayi kwi-ofisi yebhokisi-babandakanya u-Amrita Chatterjee, umfundi we-CUNY webhayoloji ozelwe e-Kolkata, e-India, owaye-odole amatikiti kwifowuni yakhe kwaye wayebona umboniso wakhe wokuqala we-Broadway. UCharles Zarrell, umphathi weprojekthi yetekhnoloji yolwazi, ufumene isibini kwibhalkoni. Intombi yam esebenza eBuzzFeed indixelele ukuba esi sisicelo esihle, utshilo, nge-app yanamhlanjeTix. Kwitikiti ngalinye, wahlawula i- $ 35 kunye ne- $ 10 ikhomishini. Ixabiso elincinci kuneTelecharge, edibanisa ngokubanzi i-9.50 yeerhafu yenkonzo ngetikiti ngalinye kunye ne-2.75 ye-odolo yokuphatha intlawulo.
Uyonwabile ngokuthenga kwakhe, kodwa imboni yeqonga ayiqinisekanga kangako.
Kule mihla, chwetheza amatikiti ebroadway kwisikhangeli sewebhu kwaye kulula ukudideka. I-Broadway.com kunye neCheaptickets.com zinokuvela kuqala. Bobabini abathengisi kunye neBroadway.com, umzekelo, ihlawulisa iikhomishini ezingama-35, mhlawumbi kubakhenkethi abangazi ngcono. Iivenkile eziphambili, iTelecharge kunye neTikiti, zilandelayo. Kodwa ngelixa iTelecharge kunye noMdlalo weTikiti lomdlalo zihlawuliswa ngokufanelekileyo, bayacotha kwaye baxakekile kwi-Intanethi, ngakumbi xa befuna phakathi kwemihla eyahlukeneyo kunye nemiboniso. Kwaye xa kufikwa ekukhetheni izihlalo kwiziza ezibini, abathengi ngamanye amaxesha kufuneka bathayiphe iikhowudi zokhuseleko amaxesha ngamaxesha ukujonga iseti nganye yezinto ezikhoyo.
Ungafumana amatikiti e-premium kuwo nawuphi na umboniso kwi-Broadway, nokuba uthengisile, utshilo uScott Mallalieu, umongameli weGreatWhiteWay.com. ‘Kodwa uyakuhlawula ixabiso leprimiyamu.’ |
Iinkampani zamakhadi etyala, ezinje ngeAmerican Express, zibonelela ngamatikiti akhethwayo ahlala enemali kunesiqhelo kwaye ngamanye amaxesha izihlalo ezingcono. Kwelinye icala lesiphelo, kwiitikiti ezinesaphulelo, umntu uhlala efuna ukuya kwenye indawo, njengePlaybill.com, okanye kwiidolophu ezintathu zokulinda eziseTKTS.
Nditsho neengcali kunye nabangaphakathi bayayamkela into yokuba iyabhida. Nge-Intanethi esiqhushumbisa ngolwazi, kuye kwaba ngumcimbi wokulumka komthengi, utshilo uScott Mallalieu, umongameli weqela lezentengiso leqela iGreatWhiteWay.com. Kuya kufuneka uyazi ukuba uwafumana phi amatikiti akho nokuba ufumana elona xabiso libalaseleyo.
Ukuqhubekeka nokwenza nzima imicimbi ku-Broadway, ngoku yinto eqhelekileyo ukunyusa nokuthoba amaxabiso rhoqo ekuphenduleni kwimfuno, ebizwa ngokuba ngamaxabiso anamandla enza ukuba kuthengwe amatikiti okudlala ngakumbi njengokuthenga izihlalo zeenqwelo moya kunye nokudala indawo ephezulu yezihlalo zepremiyamu ezibiza kakhulu.
Amatikiti ePremiyamu aqale nge Abavelisi ngo-2001 kwaye ngoku ikuyo yonke indawo. Icala elingaphezulu linokuba khona ngemizuzu yokugqibela. Imvuselelo yentsimbi yaseLincoln Centre Mna noKumkani isenezihlalo eziphambili kwimidlalo emininzi- $ 325 lilinye. Ukuba uya kwiTelecharge okanye kwiTikiti, ungafumana amatikiti eepremiyamu kuwo nawuphi na umboniso ku-Broadway, utshilo uMnu Mallalieu. Kodwa uya kuhlawula ixabiso lentlawulo.
UMerritt Baer, 30, kunye noBrian Fenty, 29, babone ithuba kule morass. Badibana besafikisa kwinkampu yaseFrance Woods yobugcisa ehlotyeni emantla nasemva kokusebenza kwezemali kunye nokuvelisa okujolise ekuxhaseni iindlela ezimbini: ukukhawulezisa ukusetyenziswa kwezixhobo eziphathwayo kunye notyekelo olwandayo lwabadlali betheyetha ukuthenga umzuzu wokugqibela. Inkampani yabo eneminyaka emithathu ubudala, iTodayTix, inesoftware yokuthenga amaxabiso apheleleyo kunye nezitulo zemidlalo yeqonga kwiveki yokusebenza.
Ngokwenyani inguquko, utshilo u-Andrew Hamingson, umlawuli olawulayo eSt Ann's Warehouse eDumbo, othengise amatikiti ngeTodayTix. Abantu bahamba ngalo lonke ixesha kwaye abafuni ukubotshelelwa kwi-PC yabo.
Oko kubizwa ngokuba 'ngamaxabiso anamandla' kwenza ukuba kuthengwe amatikiti emidlalo yeqonga njengokuthenga izihlalo zenqwelo moya. |
Ngombono kaMichael Taustine, ibhlog kunye nebhokisi yeofisi yebhokisi eShubert's Lyceum Theatre, ngokuqaqambisa amaxabiso ayo aphezulu kwimiboniso, i-TodayTix ilimaza imboni. Inceda ngantoni iBroadway le xa ihambisa abantu izihlalo ezinamaxabiso asezantsi? Xa abathengi befuna izihlalo zebhalkhoni ezingabizi kakhulu kwi-ofisi yakhe yebhokisi, wathi uzama ukubathengisela, eqaphela ukuba ibhalkhoni ingama-79 anyukayo. Siza kubacebisa ngento abayithengayo kunye nezinye iindlela esinokukhetha kuzo, utshilo. (UMnu Taustine wagxininisa ukuba wayethetha yena, kungekhona umqeshi wakhe.)
I-TodayTix, ebanga ukuphatha iipesenti ezi-3 zentengiso ye-Broadway, ineengxaki zayo. Emva kokufumana i-odolo ye-Broadway ngombane, ithumela umntu kwi-ofisi yebhokisi, ngamanye amaxesha enekhowudi yesaphulelo esidlangalaleni. Oko kongeza kwinkcitho yenkampani kwaye kwenza ukuba abathengi bangakwazi ukukhetha izihlalo kuba i-TodayTix ayizazi izinto ezikhoyo de izalisekise iodolo.
Injongo yethu kukusebenza naye wonke umntu okolu shishino, utshilo uMnu Fenty. Abanini bemidlalo yeqonga baye bacotha ukuza. Abaphathi kwimixokelelwane yeqonga benqabile ukuphawula okanye ukubuyisa iifowuni. I-Telecharge, umzekelo, yeyabathengi bayo abakhulu-Umbutho weShubert, ongumnini-mhlaba omkhulu ka-Broadway. KwiiShuberts, ukusebenzisana nomntu okhuphisana naye kunokuba kungathandeki.
NamhlanjeTix uthe ngaphantsi kwesiqingatha sentengiso yayo zizaphulelo. Ngaphandle kwe-Broadway, ihambisa iiodolo ngokuthe ngqo kwiindawo kwaye ithengise amatikiti kwimiboniso yeqonga yoluntu, isasaza simahla kuzo zonke izihlalo kumboniso wokuqala wesizini ephelileyo kwaye yaqhuba ilotto yedijithali eyaziwayo Isiseko kwaye Hamilton . Inkampani incedisile ukufikelela kwinani labantu elineminyaka eliwaka kunye nejelo elitsha lokusasaza kuthi, utshilo uTom McCann, umlawuli omkhulu woluntu kwezentengiso. NamhlanjeTix iphethe ilotto kwisibini samatikiti ekusebenzeni simahla Shakespeare ePakini kwaye yenza enye iitikiti ezingama- $ 32 kwaBroadway Kumnandi ekhaya . Benza ingxoxo enyanzelisayo yokuba ayizukufikelela nje kuphela kubantu abaza kubakho kuloo ntsebenzo, utshilo umvelisi uBarbara Whitman.
Ngelixa ukugxeka iTodayTix, Umnumzana uTaustine uncoma ukusebenziseka lula kwaye wathi iTelecharge kunye neTikiti lomqeqeshi kufuneka baphakamise umdlalo wabo. Kuya kuvela ukuba abantu bafuna amava alula, utshilo.
