Christopher BarrettLive Nation-owned Ticketmaster said it will introduce a charity upsell option enabling fans to make direct contributions to Music Venue Trust (MVT) when purchasing tickets.
The initiative coincides with Ticketmaster’s ongoing sponsorship of Venues Day, which it has backed since 2016. The upsell functionality will launch on Venues Day (October 17) and run for one month. Ticketmaster said it will match all donations received and run the upsell annually.
MVT CEO Mark Davyd said 127 grassroots music venues have closed in the last 12 months and that Ticketmaster’s support for the sector is very much appreciated: “This upsell provides a practical method for fans to support grassroots music venues, and we are incredibly grateful to the Ticketmaster team for putting it in place. Ticketmaster matching all fan donations is a powerful message for the whole industry about the support our sector needs and the will of the music community to provide it.
“Ticketmaster has been a long-term and committed partner of MVT, and their core support has been vital in developing us as the authentic voice of grassroots venues, artists and fans.”