Our First Seller Took a Leap of Faith. Here's Why That Matters.
Every new platform has to start somewhere. Ours has just taken a big step: MNPR Tickets has its first seller.
Hof's Bar and Dining in Henley-on-Thames is now selling tickets through MNPR Tickets, starting with their Halloween party on Saturday 31 October: live music from Adam Isaac, followed by Nev and Adam's Haunted House DJ set.
It might sound like a small milestone. To us, it's a big one.
Change is hard
Let's be honest about the market we're in. Venues and promoters already have ticketing platforms. They have workflows they know and systems their staff are used to.
Plenty of people we speak to believe in what we stand for. But believing in something and changing how you run your business are two different things. Learning a new platform takes time, and time is the one thing nobody in live music has spare.
And then there's the obvious question. Who is MNPR Tickets anyway? Why trust a new name over the platforms everyone already knows?
It's a fair question. Choosing us means trusting a platform with no long track record, in a market dominated by giants.
Not a faceless corporation
The answer to that question is how this whole thing started.
I've known Adam Isaac for about 20 years. He lives in Henley, I'm in Wellington, Somerset, so we don't see each other often. But our paths cross on the music scene, as they tend to when you've both been part of it for that long.
Adam had seen my posts about MNPR Tickets on Facebook, and he got in touch. Was the platform ready to use? How was it different from the platform he'd normally use?
He wanted to use MNPR Tickets for the Halloween party. But first he had to convince the venue's owner.
That's a big ask. Adam was putting his own name behind a platform they'd never heard of.
He did it because he knows me. Twenty years of trust doesn't appear overnight. He knew I'd stand by every promise we make, because he's seen how I work.
That's what MNPR Tickets is. Not a faceless corporation, but a real person on the music scene, known to bands, artists and venues, who picks up the phone and answers for what the platform does.
We don't take that trust lightly.
Why we started
MNPR Tickets exists because of one bad experience.
A friend of mine was trying to buy tickets for a gig. Partway through, the site asked for a "code". There was no explanation of what the code was, where to find it, or why it was needed. They never got through, and they missed the show.
It shouldn't be that hard to go and see live music. That moment became the test we apply to everything we build: would this confuse or let down a real fan?
What we do differently
Ticketing is broken, bar a few honest platforms. We're not here to add another option to the pile. We're here to do it properly.
That means:
A booking fee of 5% plus 20p. No hidden extras at checkout.
No dynamic pricing. Ever. The price you see is the price, however popular the show.
Full refunds if a show is cancelled, including the booking fee.
Free e-tickets. We will never charge you to receive your own ticket.
Face-value resale only. If you can't go, you can pass your ticket on fairly, and the old ticket stops working the moment it's transferred.
Part of every booking fee - our profits - goes to the Backline Fund, which awards grants to musicians, venues and grassroots music organisations.
The platform is built to give back. It puts fans first, and it supports the musicians and venues who make live music happen.
No shareholders
Here's the thing that makes all of that possible. We don't have any shareholders to answer to.
MNPR Tickets was built for musicians, venues and fans. Not for investors, and not for quarterly growth targets. Every decision starts with what's fair for the people buying and selling tickets.
In it for the long haul
We know this won't be quick or easy. Changing an industry this size doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen with one launch announcement.
But we're in this for the long haul. We'll keep chipping away, one venue, one promoter and one show at a time.
Hof's is the first. We hope it's the start of something much bigger.
To Adam, to Hof's, and to every early adopter who follows: thank you. You're taking a chance on a better way of doing things, and we'll work hard to prove it was the right call.
Venues and promoters: we'll help you get started
If the thought of switching platforms is what's holding you back, we understand. So we'll make it as easy as we can.
There are no monthly fees whatsoever, and no contracts. You're free to use MNPR Tickets for one show or a hundred, and you're never locked in. (If you'd really like a contract, we can do that too.)
We'll will also walk you through setting up your account and your first event personally if you wish.
Tell us what needs fixing
We want to hear from you. What do you love about buying or selling tickets? What drives you mad? What needs to change?
And what could MNPR Tickets do better? We build what you tell us you need, so your feedback genuinely shapes the platform. Get in contact
And if you're anywhere near Henley-on-Thames on 31 October, come and join the Halloween party at Hof's with Adam Isaac and then Adam + Nevil's Haunted Halloween DJ Set. Tickets are £7, and you'll know exactly where your money's going.