Having moved into the music business, video distribution, and newspapers and books, Apple appears to have TicketMaster in its sights with a recently-discovered patent application for distributing tickets. The system, which could be used for personal events as well as commercial, also includes methods for using an “electronic device” (e.g., an iPhone) as the ticket itself (much like some airlines do), and for adding extra offers to the ticket.

In honor of Black Music Month, Apple is throwing a month-long celebration, featuring in-store performances at a variety of its Apple store locations throughout the U.S. There will be 22 artists appearing in seven cities, including San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Troy, Michigan, Santa Monica, California, Miami, and Chicago. Billboard reports that Michelle Williams, Tiffany more »