Music Glue shares D2F ticketing goals

Music Glue head of business development Marion Sosnowicz has hailed the growth of direct-to-fan ticketing following successful tie-ins with acts such as Enter Shikari, Gerry Cinnamon and James Blunt.

The e-commerce platform and self-styled “one-stop shop” has offices in the UK, Canada and Australia, and helped British rock band Shikari to their first-ever chart-topper last year with their seventh studio album A Kiss for the Whole World.

“Fans could preorder the album to get the access to the ticket presale for their underplay tour in early 2023 and arena tour in late 2023,” Sosnowicz tells IQ. “Seventy percent of their album sales were through their Music Glue store, with the album reaching #1 in the UK charts in April 2023.

“We also ran the same presale mechanism for James Blunt and his latest album, where we sold tickets for his arena tours in the UK and Europe. We have worked on the campaign for the reissue of his first album this year as well, where we tied in the announcement with the ticket fan presale. We’ve found it is always a great way for artists to increase their sales significantly.”

The company started doing direct-to-fan ticketing back in 2007 and prides itself on providing artists and their teams with control over their ticketing, as well as low booking fees. Clients have the option of selling tickets for their shows on their own store, powered by Music Glue, without using third-party ticketing websites.

Successful worldwide partnerships over the last couple of years have included Mitski, Gerry Cinnamon, Bear’s Den, Yard Act, Sleaford Mods, Self Esteem, Nation of Language, James Marriott, Fat Dog, Within Temptation, Villagers and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.

“The most precious and important relationship is between the artist and their fans”

“I believe artists and their teams see an opportunity to build a connection with their fans and show that they care about them,” says Sosnowicz. “It’s important for them to make sure the experience to purchase tickets is as seamless as possible, so buying tickets direct from the artist’s store helps. The most precious and important relationship is between the artist and their fans, and we, as a company, will always fight very hard to protect that.

“We have the expertise and technology to deliver the best fan-friendly solution and help artists to show that they care about their fans and give them the best customer experience.”

Music Glue, which recently launched an online marketplace called Venndr where acts can sell their tickets, music, merchandise and fan club memberships, is currently working on an improved ticketing app, as well as a new integration with AXS.

“Our e-tickets are and have always been compatible with all venues’ scanning equipment, but we are also working on an integration with AXS where Music Glue customers get AXS tickets sent to them directly,” explains Sosnowicz. “New features will also include a waiting list, competition tickets, and fan resale.”

She adds: “I would like to get hundreds more bands on our new platform. We are looking to do more and more ticket presales worldwide – UK, Europe, North America – and sell thousands of tickets. The ultimate goal is to get bands to use Music Glue and power all elements of their artist’s online presence from a single location.”

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