Fans now have the ability to donate to Music Venue Trust when purchasing tickets via Ticketmaster.
The Live Nation-owned company’s initiative is a part of its ongoing partnership with Venues Day, set to launch on October 17. Venues Day, which has been backed by the ticketing giant since 2017, will run for a month, and all donations made during that time will be matched by Ticketmaster.
MVT, a British charitable organization, aims to secure and improve music venues in the U.K. It was founded following the closure of many music venues; MVT’s CEO Mark Davyd said that in just the past 12 months, 127 grassroots music venues closed, and more than one is permanently closing every week.
“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,” Davyd said. “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.”
In order to reverse the decline, Davyd called on the government, as well as others in the music industry, to help grassroots venues. The UK could lose 10% of its grassroots music venues this year, and 90 venues are currently working with MVR’s Emergency Response for either licensing, noise complaints, or legal action issues.
Others who have showed support for grassroots venues include Enter Shikari, who announced a 2024 tour in support of MVT, as well as Halifax Piece Hall, which signed an agreement to five fans an option to donate to MVT when purchasing tickets.
Find out how to support MVT here.
