When we started Music Spoken Here, we chose Eventbrite for ticketing. Initially we passed their processing fees (approximately 10% all-in) on to you – our customers. As an economically bleak winter approached, in December 2022 we stopped passing those fees on and absorbed them in our own costs. It was the right thing to do.

In August 2023, Eventbrite announced a new pricing model that would have resulted in doubling those costs for all new events published from September. At a time when live music and everyone’s pockets are already being increasingly throttled, we needed to change. We introduced Club Membership, alongside ‘pay what you can’ on the door admission. We have made exceptional live music economically accessible to everyone for over two years through this model.

To continue to grow and expand our programming over the next two years, we are retiring ‘pay what you can’ in January. Our Club Membership offers the best value for regulars, while more occasional attendees can pay for the individual gigs they want to attend.