Axs Ticketing is coming to Kansas City on Jan. 13, and when it does, the Sprint Center will become the first arena in the nation to use it.

In August, Anschutz Entertainment Group, which operates the Sprint Center, introduced the Axs platform as its alternative to Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation, AEG's largest competitor, in January 2010. Axs (pronounced "access") was first launched at the Bluebird and Ogden theaters in Denver. It has since been installed at theaters in San Francisco and Dallas.

On Jan. 13, the Sprint Center and the Midland theater will become Axs venues. That day, tickets will go on sale for two Sprint Center shows: Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker on April 6; and rapper Drake with ASAP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar on March 1. TIckets will also go on sale for three shows at the Midland: Diggy with Jacob Latimore (and others) on Feb. 12; and Creed on May 21 and May 22. Tickets for the Drake show go on sale at noon. Tickets for the three other shows go on sale at 10 a.m.

Shani Tate, senior director of ticket sales at the Sprint Center, said the Axs system was "more user-friendly and more transparent." For example, during first-day sales for high-volume shows, on-line customers will log-in and then be sent to a virtual waiting room. From there, they will be able to see where they are in line as they wait to purchase tickets. Customers will also be able to select their seats from what is available when it is their turn to buy.

The venues' box offices will be open on the first day of ticket sales starting at the same time as on-line sales. Also Axs will not charge a delivery fee to customers who print the tickets they purchased on-line. Axs pricing will be "transparent," Tate said, meaning the full price of the ticket, with fees, is evident up front and no extra fees are added as the transaction proceeds.

Axs is the first initiative under Outbox Enterprises, a joint venture among AEG, Cirque du Soleil's ticketing business (Outbox Technology) and Fred Rosen, former chief executive officer at Ticketmaster. AEG plans to expand the program into other markets throughout 2012. Axs ticketing is available on all mobile platforms and via Facebook and Twitter.