Regarding the origin of Project Admission, Glicken said, “I first thought about Project Admission while sitting at the Fan Fair Alliance conference in London a couple of years ago listening to Sammy Andrews speak on a panel. The company I worked for at the time, Songkick, was helping put on the event. The idea of tracking the chain of ownership of a ticket and controlling the exchange from end-to-end I thought could help address a lot of the biggest problems I saw in ticketing. It was a different approach than what I was used to hearing.”
Glicken continued, “Almost exactly two years later, the ticketing portion of Songkick was forced to shut down due to a protracted legal battle with Live Nation, which was eventually resolved. Fresh out of a full-time job, I had a serendipitous coffee meeting with my co-founder Jordan Stone in Nashville where we discussed general issues in ticketing which soon had us forming Project Admission.”
When asked what makes Project Admission unique in the ticketing and touring space, he said, “There are a lot of companies and disputors addressing, or at least attempting to address, the major issues in the ticketing space. While technology is important it’s only with our relationships and market understanding that we have a shot at making an impact. I would also argue that Project Admission has the cleanest product and approach in the space. We aren’t trying to disrupt or dismantle the current ticketing infrastructure but rather create a more connected experience.”
Digital transformation of the entertainment business
On the impact of technology on the entertainment industry, Glicken said, “We are sitting in a moment that is very similar to Napster versus the recorded music industry. Technology is evolving enough to move the ticket entirely into the digital space but it’s pushing up against old and entrenched business structures. Specifically, the shift is in making a ticket more of a license similar to how airlines do it rather than a commodity that can be bought and sold at will.”
On his use of technology in his daily routine, Glicken said, “I am a big fan of Apple Pay and the wallet on my iPhone X. ”
Regarding his proudest moments with Project Admission thus far, he said, “For me, it’s all about the team. The people that are joining Project Admission are so amazing and I am grateful to be surrounded with so many smart and talented friends.”
Glicken concluded, “I built my career on focusing on the long-term and not the quick wins. We are taking an approach, however idealistic it may be, of holding hands and connecting the industry versus trying to knock people out and filling the space. You don’t need to be destructive to be successful.”
