Rob HorganSPANISH comedy clubs are bringing in ‘pay-per-laugh’ technology to charge punters based on how much they are enjoying the show.
Teatreneu, a small arts club in Barcelona, has already implemented the technology and it is now set to be rolled out across the country.
Each laugh costs €0.30 with side-splitting shows capped at €24 or 80 laughs.
A monitor is installed into the back of each chair and measures the enjoyment of each onlooker through facial-recognition systems.
Tight-fisted onlookers hoping for a free night have so far failed in their bid to blag a free night, with average ticket prices up by €6.
The system was launched in partnership with advertising agency The Cyranos McCann, after audience numbers tumbled following the Spanish government’s decision to increase ticket taxes from 8% to 21% in 2012.
So far the system seems to be a hit, with the Teatreneu reporting a 35% increase in audience numbers since the ‘laugh-o-meters’ were installed.
21% tax on comedy club tickets?
its like a bad joke isn’t it? This country needs to sack 90% of its civil servants, fully open up the auctioning of contracts, and stop with blatant corruption and nepotism.
hey spain, how about a walking tax, and faster walkers (the foreigners) will have to pay more…
Be interesting to imagine similar technology applied to strip clubs. Not measuring laughs of course…