I guess the only news to me is, "wait a minute, they dont already do this?" I'm a runner, I run races, every race I've probably run over the last 40 years requires a release form, and I don't think I've signed a paper release form in ten years. I would assume that mechanism is portable to other, non-athletic events. (Check a checkbox, "sign" your name by typing it in a text field.)
So is Eventbrite just particularly lame and behind the times, or am I so dense I can't see the big deal right in front of me?