Reader TTS

Ticket agency pledges to give every penny of profit to charities - and disrupt the price gougersHumanitix 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"NewsMark McGivern Chief Reporter04:30, 05 Jun 2025Josh Ross and Adam

McCurdie, of Humanitix 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?’

Article continues below “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.

Humanitix promises to exist for good causes‌ 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.

‌Record exposed how management of Oasis - in cahoots with Ticketmaster - used dynamic pricing to gouge profit from fans 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.

‌Adam McCurdie and Josh Ross “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.”

Article continues below