Glastonbury set to sell 2009 fest tickets

GLOUCESTER, England, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A Glastonbury Festival organizer says tickets for next year's edition of the British music event will go on sale Sunday.

Organizer Michael Eavis said the decision to begin ticket sales for the 2009 Glastonbury Festival eight months ahead of time was made to make it easier for fans to get tickets, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

Fans will be allowed to put down a deposit of $88 for a $309 festival ticket and spread the entire ticket cost over the next eight months, Eavis said.

"With the new scheme, backed by the all-important registration process, everyone has an equal chance of getting a ticket. And most importantly, every ticket will be going to a genuine festival-goer direct," he told the British newspaper.

"I'm also convinced that the 50-pound ($88) deposit will help a lot of people to spread the payment for their ticket over a much longer period."

The Telegraph said Sunday's ticket opening comes in the wake of a successful 2008 festival that included performances from rapper Jay-Z, along with singers Leonard Cohen and Amy Winehouse.