The sound of your phone might soon replace paper tickets

One of the world’s largest ticket sales and distribution companies has announced a new deal with Lisnr, a data-over-audio company. Ticketmaster will use Lisnr’s ultrasonic sound technology to eventually replace paper tickets. The idea is simple: Lisnr’s “smart tune” technology uses signals in the almost inaudible range of 18.75 kHz and 19.2 kHz to allow data transmission between devices. You would take out your phone and open up your ticket, which would then be immediately detected by a scanner at the entrance.
 
This kind of application isn’t new per se; Lisnr’s technology can be found inside select Jaguar Land Rover models where the vehicle identifies the driver via ultrasonic communication and automatically applies the appropriate adjustments to the seat and temperature.
 
The new partnership will reportedly be used to verify hundreds of millions of event attendees and will roll out globally over the next four years. According to Lisnr, its technology is more cost-effective when compared to QR codes and NFC, both of which could deliver similar experiences. Not only that, ultrasonic verification would allow for faster entry – less than one second – and as a result, shorter lines.
 
And for Ticketmaster, this smart tune technology could reduce fraud since not only is the ticket linked to the user’s Ticketmaster account, but it’s also tethered to their mobile device. Plus, venues with scanners inside can use the same technology to identify each attendee to send personalized messages, a potential way for Ticketmaster to increase revenue. Venture Beat reports that the two companies plan to use Lisnr’s technology to let attendees make purchases inside venues instead of asking for a credit card, cash, or NFC.
 
Ticketmaster’s use of the smart tune technology is obviously just one of the possible applications. Lisnr, along with big companies like Google, sees potential in proximity-based ultrasonic communication, so for better or worse, we are bound to see more of it especially in places like event halls and shopping malls.

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