# Ticketron

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American ticketing company

**Ticket Reservations Systems, Inc** (**TRS**), [doing business as](/source/Trade_name) **Ticketron**, was a computerized event ticketing company that was in operation from the 1960s until 1990. It was the industry leader until overtaken by [Ticketmaster](/source/Ticketmaster). In 1990, the majority of Ticketron's assets and business were sold and the following year they were sold on to rival Ticketmaster.

## History

TRS was incorporated on May 4, 1965, and based in New York. It was funded by [Cemp Investments](/source/Cemp_Investments), headed by [Edgar Bronfman Sr.](/source/Edgar_Bronfman_Sr.)[1] It hired Jack Quinn who became president and the company started selling tickets in May 1967 from six [Alexander's](/source/Alexander's) stores in New York and New Jersey using a duplexed [Control Data Corporation](/source/Control_Data_Corporation) [CDC 1700](/source/CDC_1700) computer system with terminal equipment supplied by [Computer Applications, Inc.](/source/Computer_Applications%2C_Inc.) that it called "electronic box offices".[2][1] The same year, the first company to use the Ticketron name was founded in [Fort Lee, New Jersey](/source/Fort_Lee%2C_New_Jersey) and its president was Clayton B. Hulsh.[3] The original Ticketron unsuccessfully trialled its computerized ticketing system in summer 1967 and folded later that year.[4] TRS acquired the name and began using it for its service in July 1969.[5]

The original software resided on a pair (one for backup) of CDC 1700 computers located on the first floor of the [Beverly Hilton Hotel](/source/The_Beverly_Hilton) with a large window facing Wilshire Blvd. The system had back-up power generators in the basement to help ensure un-interruptible service. The system was designed to ensure that a given 'seat' at an event could not be sold more than once. TRS's terminals expanded to other publicly accessible locations, such as banks and department stores.

In 1969, 51% of TRS was sold to Control Data Corp. for $3.9 million with Edgar Bronfman Sr. and his family retaining 25%.[1][5] Former [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) television president, [Thomas W. Moore](/source/Thomas_W._Moore) became chairman of TRS.[5]

Another competitor, Computicket, owned by [Computer Sciences Corporation](/source/Computer_Sciences_Corporation), folded in April 1970 leaving Ticketron as the sole computerized ticketing service in the US.[5] In 1973, Control Data Corp bought out Cemp Investment, becoming sole owner.[1] In 1979, Ticketron starting selling tickets by phone.[6]

In addition to the better-known event ticketing system, Ticketron also provided ticketing terminals and back-end infrastructure for [parimutuel betting](/source/Parimutuel_betting), and provided similar services for a number of [US lotteries](/source/Lotteries_in_the_United_States), including those in [New York](/source/New_York_Lottery), [Illinois](/source/Illinois_Lottery), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania_Lottery), [Delaware](/source/Delaware_Lottery), [Washington](/source/Washington_Lottery) and [Maryland](/source/Maryland_Lottery).[7]

By the mid 1980s, Ticketron had 600 outlets in 22 US states and Canada.[7] By 1990, Ticketron had 750 outlets and had a 40% market share, behind Ticketmaster, which had been founded in 1976, with 50% of the market.[6] In 1990 the majority of Ticketron's assets and business, with the exception of a small antitrust carve-out for [The Shubert Organization](/source/The_Shubert_Organization)'s Telecharge unit (which largely operates ticketing for Broadway theatres), were bought by [The Carlyle Group](/source/The_Carlyle_Group) who sold it the following year to rival Ticketmaster.[8][9]

## New company

The Ticketron name was revived in 2017 as an online ticket service, Ticketron.com, after Ticketmaster sold the brand name in 2017.[10]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-part1_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-part1_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-part1_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-part1_1-3) ["Ticket Masters – Part 1: The Emergence of Electronic Ticketing Services"](https://musicbusinessresearch.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/ticket-masters-part-1-the-emergence-of-electronic-ticketing-services/). *Music Business Research*. September 9, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Ready Computer Ticket Selling for Pilot Test In 6 N.Y. Area Stores"](https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1967-04-19_246_9/page/104/mode/2up). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. April 19, 1967. p. 104.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Morse, Tom (March 22, 1967). ["See Computer B.O. Coming"](https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1967-03-22_246_5/mode/2up). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. p. 1.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "Computerized B.O. Opens Here Mar. 1". *[Daily Variety](/source/Daily_Variety)*. December 20, 1967. p. 4.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ct_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ct_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ct_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ct_5-3) Arneel, Gene (April 8, 1970). ["Computicket Folds With $13-Mil Loss, But Ticketron Still Punching Away"](https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1970-04-08_258_8/page/116/mode/2up). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. p. 117.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sale_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sale_6-1) Zimmerman, Kevin (April 25, 1990). "International partnership buys Ticketron agency from Control Data Corporation". *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. p. 94.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-allen_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-allen_7-1) "Allen & Co's $165-Mil Deal For Ticketron; No Changes Seen". *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. May 14, 1986. p. 92.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Ticketmaster Deal To Get Ticketron"](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/28/business/company-news-ticketmaster-deal-to-get-ticketron.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. February 28, 1991. p. 4 (section D). Retrieved May 30, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Ticket Masters – Part 2: The Rise of Ticketmaster"](https://musicbusinessresearch.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/ticket-masters-part-2-the-rise-of-ticketmaster/). *Music Business Research*. September 14, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Ticketron Returns To The US Marketplace"](https://www.theticketingbusiness.com/2018/10/17/ticketron-returns-us-marketplace/). *Ticketing Business News*. October 17, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2024.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ticketron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticketron) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticketron?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.