Tickets For Good – the leading platform providing free and heavily discounted tickets for the UK’s top live events to NHS, charity sector workers and recipients of cost-of-living benefits – has appointed senior music industry executives Don Orris and Will Mills to its Advisory Board.
The appointments follow on from June’s news that former Take That star and Angels singer Robbie Williams had become the “largest investor” in the platform as part of a £500,000 seed fundraising round. Other key investors include Bethnal Green Ventures and Comcast SportsTech.
Orris (below right) previously served as Ticketmaster EVP and Live Nation Core Ticketing Group SVP and brings with him 17 years at the top level of the live music business. He joins the advisory board to increase the presence and inventory of Tickets For Good in the US as it plans expansion and launch in the territory following recent investment.
Mills (below left), a former senior executive at Shazam and LyricFind has over 20 years of experience building market-leading music and technology companies as an executive, advisor and investor at companies including Endlesss, Audoo and Musiio. At Tickets For Good, he will strengthen the company’s partnership and commercial efforts as it closes its current £2m funding round this year.
Tickets For Good currently has over 250,000 registered users and has processed over 300,000 free and discounted tickets. Its mission also helps to drive audience development, social impact and sustainable revenues across the live and nighttime industries. Since June’s fundraise the company has launched its nationwide Ticket Bank programme, for those in receipt of UK Government cost-of-living payments.
Orris said: “As Tickets For Good prepares to launch in North America, I’m proud to contribute to this important business as a senior advisor, with this team of good people doing great things in an amazing industry.
“The mission of helping clients utilise additional inventory while making a positive contribution to the community is a worthy one; putting fans in seats that are deserving recipients through deed or those in need.”
Mills added: “Live Music is one of the biggest and fastest-growing sectors of the global music business and Tickets For Good is solving the problem of 40% inventory going unsold and getting that inventory to those in need of a great night out through their innovative business model. I’m excited to join Tickets For Good during this key growth period, to help take the business to the next level, commercially and globally.”
Stephen Rimmer, Founder and CEO of Tickets For Good, said: “Adding Don and Will to our Advisory Board underlines the strength of our mission-driven business strategy. As we close out our latest round of funding and work towards our launch in the US, their insights and experience will be indispensable.”
Partnerships with over 500 live events companies enables Tickets For Good to increase the accessibility of live entertainment for its members who sign up to the platform for free and can secure tickets by paying a small booking fee.
Current partners include AEG Presents, El Dorado, Generator Live, Parklife, Strawberries & Creem and Tramlines. Tickets good has featured tickets for Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, the English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Regents Opera.
Sporting partners include England Rugby, PGA, and The Premier League, with TfG users already enjoying events with London Lions, international football matches, and the Women’s EURO 2022 tournament. Wider events partners take in the likes of Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and the London Craft Beer Festival.
Research published in October 2023 (commissioned by Music Venue Trust associate and mobility app FreeNow, via OnePoll) found that “68% of those surveyed said the cost of living had negatively impacted the number of gigs they had attended in 2023,” and that “88% noted that live music experiences positively impact their mental health.”
The survey also suggested that live gigs are the top leisure pursuit of choice for adults, over pub gatherings and weddings, and that “the typical concert buff has been to nearly four gigs this year, with three more planned for the remainder of 2023.”
