Mixhalo Hires Andy Donner As Company’s First Chief Commercial Officer

Donner most recently served as the SVP of Music and Corporate Development at Eventbrite and left the ticketing company in April as part of its workforce reduction. Donner joined the company in 2017 following the acquisition of Ticketfly from Pandora. He spent three years at Ticketfly, serving as the Vice President of Business and Corporate Development.  

Donner has more than two decades of experience working and investing in software, digital media, and consumer products.  

“I see this opportunity as the perfect intersection of different parts of my career,” Donner told Pollstar. “As an entrepreneur I founded my own digital media company back in the day, I love early stage businesses, love technology and this is fascinating technology.” 

Mixhalo was co-founded by Mike Einziger, guitarist for Incubus, and his wife and fellow musician Ann Marie Simpson-Einziger to give concertgoers access to the same soundboard audio musicians get to enjoy with in-ear monitors on stage. Fans can download the Mixhalo app on their phones and then enjoy an elevated listening experience via their own headphones or wireless earbuds. Listeners also have the option of a personalized experience with different mixes, emphasizing the drummer or guitarist, for example.

Although COVID-19 has put a halt to most in-person live events, innovative socially distanced options are emerging including drive-in concerts such as Live Nation’s “Drive In-Live” tour announced Monday that will visit four Danish cities in May and June. The outing will feature a handful of Danish artists performing in drive-in theaters with sound distributed via the car radio. 

Events like that offer the perfect opportunity for Mixhalo to offer an enhanced experience with superior sound. 

“We’re deep in negotiations with the major players across the entertainment industry to enable the safe transition back to live, in-person events that adhere to government guidelines,” Einziger said in a statement. “Andy’s skillset will be invaluable in ensuring that live events not only return, but return with unrivaled sound quality, and new opportunities for artist-fan interaction.”

Mixhalo’s team features newly appointed CEO John Vars, along with investors and advisors including Pharrell Williams, Metallica, WME’s Marc Geiger, Red Light Management’s Coran Capshaw, producer Rick Rubin, and composer Hans Zimmer. 

The company partnered with Aerosmith on its Las Vegas residency, offering a side stage VIP experience, and also announced a partnership late last year with Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center. 

“The industry has had to completely reinvent itself to adjust to COVID-19,” Marc Geiger, WME partner and head of music, said in a statement. “Mixhalo has figured out how to deliver clean, real-time, quality audio despite the challenges presented by non-traditional venues and this technology could not be more relevant right now.”