Latest news with #Humanitix
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Ticket agency pledges to give every penny of profit to charities - and disrupt the price gougers
Humanitix starts up in Edinburgh with Scottish Enterprise backing. Founders aim to give £100 million a year to charity, within ten years. And they ban themselves from profiteering tactics like "dynamic pricing" A ticketing company claims it can revolutionise the industry by giving every penny of its profits to charitable causes. Humanitix this week sets up a UK base in Edinburgh and pledges that every ticket it sells with help children's charities. And its founders also promise that no-one buying from them will get sucked into any price gouging strategies that have erupted via global companies like Ticketmaster in recent years. Aussie Adam McCurdie, who set up Humanitix with high school friend Josh Ross in 2016, insists there is no downside to selling tickets or buying them visa his charity. Tickets will, he claims, be cheaper - and charity partners will win too. He said: 'The key question for us is this: 'What does ticketing look like when there are no shareholders?' 'And I would suggest that Humanitix is the answer. 'We are set up, by constitution and company structure, as a registered charity and non-profit. We are compelled to give profit away. 'There can be no temptation - now or in the future - to start fleecing people and making a huge profit then selling the business - because there is nothing to sell. 'We've totally taken that off the board and we've already given away more than £8.5 million - and £5 million in the past year alone - to good causes.' McCurdie has been living in Edinburgh to set up the charity's launch there. Since the charity was formed in 2016 in Sydney, Australia, it has opened offices in Denver, and Auckland. The Edinburgh start-up - which creates 30 jobs - is being aided by a £325,000 Scottish Enterprise grant, as well as assistance from the International Social Enterprise Observatory (ISEO). Humanitix is now seeking to handle the ticketing operations for events that might involve tens of people up to tens of thousands, like summer festivals. McCurdie refuses to get drawn into thorny debate about the rise of hated 'dynamic ticketing' on the UK ticket scene. The issue exploded when Oasis were exposed for opting into Ticketmaster's price gouging strategy - that sells the same seat for higher and higher amounts if the demand allows it. The Daily Record has written extensively about Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation - which has huge power via its entertainment venue ownership and talent promotion, as well as its global ticketing operations. And the UK government is currently looking at ways of legally blocking any methods that exploit the fervour of fans, including those who end up paying way more for a ticket than was advertised when they logged on to an online sale. McCurdie said: 'With no profit and with no equity an no shareholders, there is no opportunity for Humanitix to be sold or bought by a big conglomerate or a ticketing company. 'There is no exit strategy for me and the founders. It's all about impact. 'And we can have an impact while reducing the booking fees for punters, significantly. 'No event has ever paid more in booking fees after coming to us - they always go down 'We then avoid what we consider terrible pricing strategies, like drip pricing or dynamic pricing, for example. We look at that very quickly and very simply as a horrible pricing strategy for anyone who's a genuine fan looking to buy tickets and we simply don't do that.' McCurdie is realistic in that big companies like Ticketmaster can often have deals wrapped up through corporate ownership ties. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. But he said: 'We are mainly operating in a space where event hosts have choice of ticketing partner. And when they're given a choice, they take a look at our platform. 'And they can see that, today, we're doing in excess of 650,000 events, so they make the switch. 'There's just so much exciting opportunity and growth here.' 'Ten years from now, if our projections go to plan, we will be in all English speaking countries, as well as across all of Europe. 'And we will be, hopefully, the go-to ticketing platform of all events of all shapes and sizes, and be giving away in excess of £100 million pounds per year to our charity partners. That's the 10 year goal. 'We gave away another five million pounds just last year alone, giving away now in excess of eight and a half million pounds, and growing incredibly quickly. 'We are dealing with everything from a two person cooking class up to 200,000 people at a festival - to anything where the host is allowed to choose its ticketing platform. 'It's just a fantastic way to have every single event, big and small, make a meaningful impact at no cost to anyone except for the incumbent ticketing platform that was previously doing the ticketing. Reuben Aitken, managing director of Scottish Enterprise's international arm, worked with Humanitix to bring the UK headquarters to Scotland. He said: 'At Scottish Enterprise, we are all about backing ambition. 'The boldness and innovation of Humanitix, combined with their ethical approach, is how you really go about disrupting an industry and we're excited to see that happening from their Edinburgh HQ.'
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
‘Sound of Music' makes its return
Bringing the popular classic to life in Waimate this month are Rob Smith who plays Captain von Trapp and Vanessa Morgan who plays Maria. PHOTO: PETER O'CONNELL Waimate is alive with The Sound of Music. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the popular film The Sound of Music, and - to celebrate - the Waimate Theatre Company will bring the classic to the stage next week. Spokeswoman Emma Bush said it had been almost four decades since the play was last staged in Waimate and some of the original cast would return to the stage again. Miss Bush said Russell Wallace - who had played Captain Von Trapp - was returning as the stern Admiral von Schreiber. While Rob Smith - who had formerly played Max Detweiler - would be taking on the role of Captain Von Trapp. She said those familiar faces would also be joined by a new generation of performers who were "bringing their own energy to the production". Miss Bush said - following the success of last year's Frozen Jr - the interest from young performers was so strong the company had double cast the child roles to give more thespians the chance to star. Behind the scenes, a dedicated team of volunteers has been hard at work - building sets, sewing costumes, sourcing props, and keeping everything running smoothly. "It's a true community effort. "One that continues to make local theatre something special." The production would be directed by Helen Horsnell, with choreography by Shelley Wilson and musical direction from Vanessa Morgan and Claire Luckman. "The production is in expert hands and promises to deliver something truly special." Tickets are on sale now at Humanitix.
Otago Daily Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Plays sure to raise a laugh
Caitlin Rivers, left, and Jane Robertson preparing to appear in next week's Pint-Sized Plays. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER A short attention span is all you need for some of the best theatrical entertainment you'll see. Playwriting comp Pint-Sized Plays — plays lasting 10 to 15 minutes max — returns to Queenstown next week with shows on Thursday and Friday at Frankton's The Matrix Lounge, from 7pm, followed by two shows in Bannockburn the following day. Organised by Queenstown's Remarkable Theatre, it attracts plays from around the world. Each also has to have no more than three actors, and minimal props. Local actors will perform five of the plays, with the other three featuring Cromwell talent. Once again, comedy's very prevalent — seven of the plays are comedies, with two of them dark comedies. "Everyone likes a good laugh," production manager Sophie Kennedy says. Two are intriguingly entitled 200 Below Zero and Happy Husband Hunting. Each show's winning play is decidedby audience vote with votesaggregated to find the overall winner. Tickets $30 plus booking fees from Humanitix.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Melbourne cinema says threats caused it to cancel fundraising screening of Oscar-winning Palestinian displacement film
A fundraising screening of the Oscar-winning documentary film on the Israeli displacement of the Palestinian community, No Other Land, has been cancelled by a Melbourne cinema after organisers the Jewish Council of Australia said the cinema received threats. JCA had arranged with Classic Cinema in Elsternwick to host the screening of the Palestinian-Israeli Academy Award-winning film on 1 May, which was to be followed by a discussion between a Palestinian and an Israeli speaker, with one of the film-makers recording a dedicated message for the event. The screening was organised to raise funds for costs incurred by settler-state violence in Masafer Yatta, in the southern West Bank. The event had not been widely publicised prior to its cancellation, but a Humanitix page selling tickets to the screening went live earlier this week. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Organiser Sophia Kagan said she received a call from the cinema on Wednesday informing her the event would be cancelled. Kagan said she was told the cinema had received 20 complaints and threats in one day, and were warned there would be protests planned for the evening of the screening. The screening date coincides with the release of the next Marvel film, and Kagan said the cinema was concerned about the safety of staff and patrons. Kagan said she was concerned about the threats and asked Classic for more details of the emails to see if they needed to be passed on to authorities. Guardian Australia contacted Classic Cinema for comment. Correspondence seen by Guardian Australia confirms the booking was made last month. As of Thursday afternoon, the cinema had a listing for the film on its website, but no time listed for the screenings. The Humanitix page had been removed. Kagan said she was 'deeply disappointed' by the decision. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'What does that say about freedom of expression in Australia, that an Oscar-winning film made by an Israeli-Palestinian collective, which is being screened in Israel, is censored in such a blatant way? 'I think that Jewish and non-Jewish residents in my neighbourhood are entitled to see this film … I find any sort of threats and complaints and opposition to the screening quite extraordinary, and I think that the fact that the cinema caved so quickly to these complaints … That's a terrible precedent.' The organisers told Guardian Australia a new screening has been arranged at Palace in Brighton Bay for the same date. Cinemas in the United States have been targeted for screening the film, but it appears to be the first public instance of such an alleged targeting in Australia. Last month, the film's co-director, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked by settlers and detained by the Israeli military.
