News broke yesterday of a deal that sees communications giant O2 take over the sponsorship of 11 Academy branded venues across the UK.

The deal starts on January 1st 2009 and will see O2 customer get exclusive first grabs on tickets for over 4000 gigs every year. Extra benefits, according to the press release, might include priority gig access and VIP treatment for O2 customers once inside the venue.

The venues are: O2 Academy Brixton, O2 Academy Islington, O2 Academy Birmingham, O2 Academy Bristol, O2 Academy Glasgow, O2 Academy Liverpool, O2 Academy Newcastle , O2 Academy Oxford, O2 Academy Sheffield, O2 Academy Leeds and O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Being a regular at the academy venues makes me sceptical about any extra benefits over and above ticketing. The staff for one are some of the most unfriendly I’ve met - but it’s all about the music, right? Wrong.

“Through this partnership we are not only looking to benefit O2 customers, but to also enhance the live experience for all artists and music fans.”

Now, instead of throwing cups of Carling, or, worse, piss people will now be encouraged to throw sim cards on N95’s. Aside from the cup-of-piss problem I fail to see how they will “enhance” the experience. It gets my back up slightly when people say stuff like this. After All, you’re there to see Klaxons, Editors, Razorlight, Guillemots, Mighty Boosh or whoever put on an awesome sweat inducing show that you’ll remember for life.

Back when we were talking about Astoria closing there were pricks moaning about the pictures on the wall or the stale smell of that beer that got spilt when Libertines played there in 2003 that no one cleaned up. The very same people berate you for bumping in to them whilst your having a dance around.

If being detached from the real fans and watching from a distance in your own private O2 zone sounds like your cuppa-tea then I urge you to go to HMV and just buy the record - don’t bother with the gig.

So above all this deal is good if I, as an O2 customer, get my hands on tickets first however if they start changing the dirty venues we know and love then there will be war.