Fan donations generate £60,000 for grassroots venues

A donation-matching initiative run by Ticketmaster has raised £60,000 to support grassroots music venues.

Throughout October, the company offered fans who bought tickets through its platform the option to make an optional donation to the Music Venues Trust (MVT), promising to match every pound they contributed.

The initiative raised £60,000 for the MVT this year, bringing its total raised since its start two years ago to £150,000.

The funds will go directly into the trust’s pipeline investment fund, which supports grassroots music venues, artists, and promoters across the UK. The fund, which announced its first grants in 2022, has raised and allocated more than £5m so far, including about £500,000 for infrastructure for grassroots music venues.

Ticketmaster UK’s managing director, Andrew Parsons, said the donation matching scheme “is a big deal to us”, adding that the company looks forward to supporting grassroots venues “long into the future”.

MVT’s chief executive, Mark Davyd, said: “We are very grateful to Ticketmaster and its customers for their support at a time when this type of initiative is very much needed.

“Their recognition that grassroots music venues are struggling badly just to keep the lights on without these types of donations and their efforts to do something about it is extremely welcome!”