Music Venue Trust and TicketWeb are teaming up to launch Grassroots Venues Tickets. The website and service will give fans the ability to find tickets and venues for grassroots music venues all across the UK.
Grassroots Venues Tickets already has 16 venues signed up, with each ticket containing a direct donation to the venue to assist improvements, and also to MVT to support the national network and to fight for venues across the country.
Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, said: “We wanted to bring a ticket product and service into the market that was all about supporting the Grassroots Music Venues sector. There’s been a lot of talk about ethical ticketing and the music industry’s concerns about these venues. We wanted to work with a partner to develop a grassroots ticket that genuinely enables fans to know that what they are buying is directly supporting the venues they love that really need help. We’re delighted to be working with TicketWeb to deliver just that product, and to be able to do it at no extra cost to the customer.”
Tickets bought through Grassroots Venues Tickets will have a service charge of 5%. TicketWeb will allocate a proportion of this ticket service charge to the Music Venue Trust to fund national and local campaigning to stop venue closures and improve music venues. Customers will also make a fixed donation of 50p towards the maintenance and refurbishment of the venue, which is paid directly to the venue.
Davyd further explained: “Alongside a great deal for fans and a major step forward in funding for venues, we also wanted Grassroots Venues Tickets to do something for writers and publishers. In our exclusive ticket offer to venues, MVT is going to be able to track, monitor and pay collection agencies such as PRS for Music on behalf of grassroots music venues, while filing great information that ensures grassroots writers and artists are getting paid when their work is performed. It removes a significant burden of work and responsibility from venues and is a real win for writers and artists at this level.”
Sam Isles, managing director of TicketWeb, said: “Today we are proud to unveil grassrootsvenues.tickets alongside our partners MVT. Together we continue to work in the interests of GMVs around the UK. The launch of this site is a culmination of lots of work behind the scenes to ensure it empowers both independent venues, and music fans alike.”
This website comes off the back of last October’s launch of TicketWeb Backline – a platform designed specifically with Music Venue Trust to empower independent venues and promoters.
By Will Nicolaides
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