Help End Poverty While Earning Concert Tickets

A group of artists including Pearl Jam, Tim McGraw, Jay Z and Alabama Shakes want to help you help those in need with the launch of the Global Citizens Ticket Initiative. It’s a win-win with good deeds and social activism earning points for concert tickets.

If the concept sounds familiar that’s because Global Citizens Tickets comes to you from the Global Poverty Project, the same advocacy organization behind the Global Citizen Festival held in New York City’s Central Park last fall to raise awareness and funds to help end extreme poverty. Fans had to perform charity acts to get in on a special lottery of 60,000 tickets to the concert that featured performances from The Black Keys, Foo Fighters and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The festival raised $1.3 billion in pledged donations from groups like UNICEF and the Half the Sky Movement, according to Rolling Stone.

Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis and the Global Poverty Project CEO Hugh Evans dreamed up the Global Citizen Tickets Initiative to continue the momentum of getting musicians and fans involved in the fight against poverty.

Here’s how it works. To earn points you can do something as simple as watch an education video, share information on social media or sign a petition. You could earn more points by emailing your representatives, volunteering or fundraising. For example, signing the “End of Polio” petition will earn you 3 points whereas participating in the “Live Below the Line” campaign and raising $20 will earn you 20 points.

Once you’ve racked up enough points you can apply to a ticket lottery for a pair of tickets to a concert you’d like to attend. Joe Satriani’s Aug. 30 concert in Las Vegas is 10 points, John Mayer’s Aug.11 concert at the Illinois State Fair requires 20 points, and a pair of tickets to Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Wash., is 50 points.

“Pearl Jam is very grateful to be part of such an innovative and generous group of artists and music business leaders participating in this project, ” said Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard. “We are particularly thankful to our manager Kelly Curtis for spearheading this thoughtful strategy. It reflects the DNA of our band and business, and expands it to respond to some of the greatest inequities and challenges facing humanity.”

The participating artists – which also include Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath, Beyonce, Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Kanye West, Ozomatli, Soundgarden, Depeche Mode and many, many more acts – are “donating two tickets to every show they play for the next three years,” according to Rolling Stone.

Participating festivals include Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and more.

Along with Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis, industry folks who are part of the Global Citizen Tickets Initiative Committee include Live Nation’s Mark Campana, CAA’s Rob Light, WME Entertainment’s Sara Newkirk and Brian Murphy of AEG Live/Goldenvoice.

For more information about how you can get involved visit GlobalCitizen.org.