It’s too complicated.

To endorse Club Passport would be equivalent to giving a thumbs-up to Microsoft’s Zune.  Sure, Zune HD is a good attempt, but it’s not going to succeed because it’s not what the people want!

A season pass?  Great idea.  We discussed it in Aspen, Don Strasburg immediately sold some in Boulder.  But in order to work, it must be understandable, comprehensible, clear.  This is the number one criterion for business success.

It’s not about having the most, but having the most usable.

Instead of offering the right to see a bunch of unknown shows, why not just sell out current inventory cheaply?  Loser shows are obvious, especially when those are the only ones you can get in for free with your passport.  This is lipstick on a pig, and that’s never attractive.  If you want to employ a season pass, you’ve got to start with a clean slate.

You pay $49 and you’ve got the right to get in every Monday night.  And if you want to insure you get in, you’ve got to line up.  That’s how you build confidence in the customer and generate excitement.

Sure, you’re gonna have developing acts on most Mondays.  But every once in a while, you’re gonna have a special star.  Sometimes announced, sometimes unannounced.  $49 gives you the right to get in.  And, it’s the ONLY way to get in.  You can’t buy a regular ticket.

And for those bitching that they may not get into any shows, you give merchandise/value equivalent to the $49.  Yup, buy a passport and you get to join one fan club of your choice.  I wouldn’t advertise specific rights that go along with this, but in the hype you can delineate all the advantages — special merch, right to buy tickets in advance.  Hell, Musictoday’s fan clubs are the best, Live Nation owns the company, why not let people experience the quality by joining?

And there’s a limited number of passports, generating heat, desirability, and a good chance of getting in.  If it’s really successful, sell for Tuesday night too.  And then Wednesday.

And you need your credit card to get in, this helps fight scalping.  Hell, your name is printed right on your laminate (yup, you get a laminate, not a paper ticket — hell, put a photo on it to truly avoid scalping issues!)

Then there’s a Club Passport page where you can upload pics, where you can tweet, post in the forum…  Truly make it a club.  And everybody wants to be a member of a cool club.

Make it simple.  The fewer rules, the better.

And make it look like Live Nation and the customer are in it together.

Good intentions here, but bad execution.