Ticketmaster Nabs Venues NSW Account

Ticketmaster has secured the Venues NSW contract, becoming the official ticketing partner for major venues such as the SCG and Accor Stadium.

With the partnership announced today, Ticketmaster has been confirmed as the ticketing agent for eight venues in metro and regional New South Wales, including the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium, Accor Stadium, CommBank Stadium, and Penrith Stadium, which is set to reopen in 2027.

Elsewhere, Ticketmaster has maintained longstanding partnerships with venues like WIN Stadium, WIN Entertainment Centre, and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.

According to a press release, Ticketmaster will support Venues NSW with their calendar of concerts and sporting events, and work closely with partners including the NRL, Rugby Australia, Super Rugby, A-League, Football Australia, AFL, and Cricket Australia.

The partnership will enable punters attending the venues to buy, store, and manage tickets in their Ticketmaster account, enjoy fast entry, personalised fan experiences, and enhanced ticket security.

In a statement, Stephen Saunders, Group GM of Event Acquisition and Partnerships at Venues NSW, said, “We look forward to working closely with the Ticketmaster team to deliver their world-class ticketing experience as well as bringing new and exciting events to our venues around NSW.”

Gavin Taylor, Managing Director at Ticketmaster Australia, added: “This is a milestone moment for Ticketmaster. By teaming up with Venues NSW, we’re streamlining the ticketing experience across some of the state’s most iconic venues and unlocking new ways for fans to connect with the live experiences they love.”

Earlier this year, the above-mentioned music venues – as well as the Sydney Opera House – were named as spaces that would participate in NSW’s newly launched Michael’s Rule incentive scheme.

The government will incentivise international touring acts to add an Australian support act when they perform at the state’s largest venues by introducing a reduced venue hire fee at the spaces mentioned above.

After last year’s AAM Awards, the Senior Managers of the Association of Artist Managers revealed that they wanted to see Michael’s Rule enshrined into law in tribute to Michael McMartin, who passed away last year.

Michael McMartin was Hoodoo Gurus’ manager for 41 years. Throughout his career as an artist manager, he advocated for a mandatory Australian support act for international tours. He and others at AAM campaigned for decades to make it compulsory for at least one local artist to share a tour poster and stage on an international tour visiting Australia.