Richard Hawley

Academy Group music venues announce new partnership


The Academy Music Group, who run a series of venues throughout the UK, has announced a new partnership with the O2 phone network that will see customers of the company receive priority access to tickets at the venues.

The new deal will see eleven UK venues renamed O2 Academies from January 1 next year.

From 2009, O2 phone customers will be able to buy tickets to gigs at the O2 Academies up to two days before non-O2 customers in the UK.

As part of the deal the following venues will now be called:

O2 Academy Brixton
O2 Academy Islington
O2 Academy Birmingham
O2 Academy Bristol
O2 Academy Glasgow
O2 Academy Liverpool
O2 Academy Newcastle
O2 Academy Oxford
O2 Academy Sheffield
O2 Academy Leeds
O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire




So what's the betting all the touts will be out in force and make a real killing! It doesn't mention a limit on the number of tickets

At least they'll no longer be Carling Academies which hopefully means they won't be tied in to selling that pish water at extortionate prices (though that's not to say that whatever they choose to replace it with won't be stupidly overpriced).

The best thing about the Academy in Liverpool is that Ma Egertons is only a spit away...

The stage door to the Liverpool Empire is even closer - the red car in the pic below is blocking it...