[Nfb-announce] National Federation of the Blind Announces Agreement with Ticketmaster

[Freeh, Jessica]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:

Chris 
Danielsen 
Linda Bandov Pazin

Director of Public 
Relations 
Live Nation Entertainment

National Federation of the 
Blind                                                   (310) 867-7000

(410) 659-9314, extension 
2330 
<mailto:lindabandov at livenation.com>lindabandov at livenation.com

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org





National Federation of the Blind
Announces Agreement with Ticketmaster





Ticketmaster Makes Website Fully Accessible and Fan-Friendly to Blind Users



Baltimore, Maryland (April 26, 2011): The National Federation of the 
Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Internet access by 
blind Americans, today announced a cooperative agreement with 
Ticketmaster, the global event ticketing leader and one of the 
world's top five eCommerce sites, to make its website fully 
accessible to the blind.  Under the agreement, Ticketmaster will make 
its website (<http://www.ticketmaster.com/>www.ticketmaster.com) 
fully accessible to blind users utilizing screen access technology by 
December 31, 2011.  Screen access technology converts what is on the 
computer screen into synthesized speech or Braille.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
said: "An increasing number of goods and services are now offered 
primarily over the Internet and Ticketmaster's extremely popular 
ticket sales website is a prime example of this trend.  Ticketmaster 
customers gain many of the company's valuable benefits and services, 
including access to special pre-sales and promotions, through its 
website.  The National Federation of the Blind is pleased that 
Ticketmaster has recognized the importance of providing equal access 
to its website for its blind customers, and we look forward to 
working with the company to achieve that goal.  The National 
Federation of the Blind will continue to work tirelessly until the 
blind have equal access to the full range of products and services 
available to the public through the Internet and other information 
technologies."



"For Ticketmaster, the future is all about the fans.  We want to 
participate wherever and however so that fans can have the best 
possible fan-friendly experience," said Nathan Hubbard, CEO of 
Ticketmaster.  "Partnering with the National Federation of the Blind 
is enabling us to address the needs of our blind fans, so that they 
can have the same positive experience when purchasing tickets for 
their favorite artists' performance or any live event.  We are 
committed to working with NFB to enhance the Ticketmaster website so 
that it's accessible and usable by all of our fans out there."



Pursuant to the agreement, Ticketmaster will develop a comprehensive 
accessibility program that will include the development of an 
accessibility guidelines manual, as well as the appointment of both 
an accessibility coordinator and an accessibility committee.



Additionally, Ticketmaster will continue to work with officials of 
the National Federation of the Blind to ensure that the Ticketmaster 
services remain accessible to the blind.  Ticketmaster will submit 
its website to the NFB Nonvisual Accessibility (NFB-NVA) Web 
Certification program, a rigorous procedure by which websites and 
applications that have made efforts to be accessible to the blind can 
be identified and recognized.  The NFB-NVA Web Certification program 
continuously monitors participating sites to ensure that they remain 
compliant with certification criteria.  If a site remains accessible, 
its certification is renewed on an annual or a version basis.  If 
accessibility issues arise, the National Federation of the Blind will 
work with the site developers to remedy them.





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About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind 
is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind 
people in the United States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives 
through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs 
encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading 
force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's 
blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the 
Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in 
the United States for the blind led by the blind.



About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment is the world's leading live entertainment 
and eCommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: 
<http://www.ticketmaster.com/>Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, 
Front Line Management Group and Live Nation 
Network.  <http://www.ticketmaster.com/>Ticketmaster.com is the 
global event ticketing leader and one of the world's top five 
eCommerce sites, with over 26 million monthly unique visitors.  Live 
Nation Concerts produces over 20,000 shows annually for more than 
2,000 artists globally.  Front Line is the world's top artist 
management company, representing over 250 artists.  These businesses 
power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment 
marketing solutions, enabling over 800 advertisers to tap into the 
200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live 
event and digital platforms.  For additional information, visit 
<http://www.livenation.com/investors>www.livenation.com/investors.