News

Partnership with CrowdSurge revealed

Pendulum and Biffy Clyro offer pre-sale tickets, more artists’ websites to benefit in 2010

Warner Music UK today unveiled an innovative new facility within their full service direct-to-consumer platform. For the first time, Warner Music UK will offer artists the ability to retail gig tickets from their own websites, without the need for fans to visit a third party website. Tickets, along with other products including merchandise, fan-clubs, digital and physical music formats, will all be available through one online ‘shopping basket’. Warner Music UK is partnering with CrowdSurge (www.crowdsurge.com/services), the online ticketing and D2C technology company, to integrate the ticketing facility into the platform and to work with promoters to fulfil the ticket purchases.

Pendulum was the first band to benefit, providing their thriving community of fans with “pre-sale” tickets to their May 2010 tour, direct from their website, before general release. Tickets to their gigs, which will coincide with the release of their much anticipated new album ‘Immersion’, went on sale at the beginning of December.

Following the sold-out tour that concluded at Brixton Academy in November, Biffy Clyro will return in April and May for a seven date UK tour. Before the tickets went on general sale on Friday 11th December, they were exclusively available for two days via the band’s website. Fans buying a ticket with the “Many Of Horror” bundle (priced at £5.99 for all three single formats featuring three new b-sides) were given the chance to win attendance at an exclusive sound check party with the band before their chosen show.

Further ticketing initiatives are expected in early 2010. Other UK artists working with Warner Music on their websites include Katherine Jenkins, Paolo Nutini and Little Boots.

Paul Craig, SVP, Artist Partnerships, Warner Music UK, said “Our complete direct-to-consumer solution empowers artists to continually communicate with their audience, across a wide range of activities, via one destination. Our platform’s seamless integration with CrowdSurge’s first-class technology will help create unique commercial and creative opportunities with products and experiences fans won’t find anywhere else. We continue to develop our ability to partner with acts across all aspects of their careers and these sites are a perfect example of how we provide expertise and resource to deepen the connection between artist and fan.”

Martyn Noble, Chairman & CEO, CrowdSurge, said “We are immensely pleased that Warner Music UK chose the CrowdSurge integrated service, positioning themselves at the cutting edge of technology utilisation and completing the full D2C service offering. The deal marks a definitive leap forward in bringing the artists closer to their fan base through one platform in a commercial environment that is both trusted and ethical”.

About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.