LONDON, September 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Metallica Plays to a Record Crowd of 18,000

Ticketmaster (NASDAQ:TKTM), the world's leading live entertainment ticketing and marketing company, is pleased to announce for the first time ever in a concert setting in the United Kingdom, an entire arena was scanned in with our new, fan-friendly Paperless Ticket(TM) technology. More than 7000 tickets were scanned or swiped in the first 45 minutes with more than 18,000 fans admitted in total in just over 2 hours.

Metallica's Death Magnetic release party went on sale to Fan Club and Mission Metallica members. Customers using a credit card/Visa debit card who purchased their tickets were required to arrive at the venue with their credit card and photo identification. Their card was then swiped, they were given a receipt, and then granted entry to the event.

The concert was also the biggest gig ever played at The O2, the world's most popular music arena.

Chris Edmonds, Managing Director of Ticketmaster UK, said: "We are delighted to announce that the launch of Ticketmaster's innovative Paperless Ticket(TM) at the Metallica album launch went extremely well. Fans using the Paperless Ticket were able to gain access to the event smoothly. The entire process was quick, secure and simple. This was the first time in Europe this ticketing technology has been used and both Ticketmaster and O2 staff worked extremely hard to ensure fans experienced trouble free access. With more than 17,000 people using the Paperless Ticket we were able demonstrate the success and viability of this technology at large scale events, and our continued commitment to offering the latest innovative ticketing technology to both our clients and fans."

Mark Donnelly, Managing Director of The O2, said: "Ticketmaster's Paperless Ticket(TM) proved hugely successful at the Metallica gig on Monday night. Ticketmaster worked closely with The O2 to ensure the ticketing of the event went as smoothly as possible and we were delighted with the results."

About Ticketmaster UK

As the world's leading live entertainment ticketing and marketing company, Ticketmaster connects the world to live entertainment. Ticketmaster operates in 20 global markets, providing ticket sales, ticket resale services, marketing and distribution through http://www.Ticketmaster.com, one of the largest e-commerce sites on the Internet; approximately 6,700 retail outlets; and 21 worldwide call centres. Established in 1976, Ticketmaster serves more than 10,000 clients worldwide across multiple event categories, providing exclusive ticketing services for leading arenas, stadiums, professional sports franchises and leagues, college sports teams, performing arts venues, museums, and theatres. In 2007, the company sold more than 141 million tickets valued at over US$8.3 billion on behalf of its clients. Ticketmaster is headquartered in West Hollywood, California and is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange (NASDAQ: TKTM).

For more information contact: Jon Wiffen, Ticketmaster UK, Phone: +44(0)207-344-4000