Company founder · Artist manager · Software developer
Kevin Brown
I build businesses where everybody wins.
I’m the founder of Affiliate Window, now Awin, and FanCircles. I’ve managed bands, taken thousands of music fans by bus to gigs in Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne, and never had a proper job. Here’s the short version.
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Kevin Brown
Founder
AAA
01 · The tour so far
Every business I've run, in order of appearance.
Like any good tour, it’s had big nights, long drives and a lot of very good company. Here are the dates.
Before 1999
LatestEvents
Paris · Amsterdam · Cologne
My first business, with my partner Andy Totten. We took thousands of fans by bus to concerts across Europe and did our best to give every one of them a brilliant day out.
1999
Now Awin · Europe · USA
I wrote the first version myself, at home, in four months, and named it after the double glazing being fitted that week. It grew into Awin, one of the largest affiliate networks in Europe.
2010
Zoo Management
The O2, London
I managed The Australian Pink Floyd Show, taking it from small venues to arenas and more than 100 shows a year around the world. I managed The South too.
2012
Both sides of affiliate
My company for affiliate content sites and programme management, plus a portfolio of hundreds of .com domain names.
Since 2012
Investing
Early backer of SuperAwesome
I invest in companies across digital advertising, tech and health. I was an early investor in SuperAwesome, bought by Epic Games in 2020.
2015
Superfan apps · PushPass
Started life as GigRev, making superfan apps where artists own their fan data, for acts like UB40, Culture Club, Wolf Alice and Wet Wet Wet. In 2026 we added FanCircles PushPass, which puts brands on customers’ lock screens through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
02 · Highlights
A few numbers I'm quietly proud of.
4 months
to write the first Affiliate Window platform at home, in PHP and MySQL.
Admit one
1998-99
80,000
publishers and more than 850 advertisers working with Affiliate Window.
Admit one
2009
18th
in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, up from 35th the year before.
Admit one
2008
100+
shows a year with The Australian Pink Floyd Show, including The O2.
Admit one
On tour
500,000
FanCircles users across more than 40 acts.
Admit one
2021
$2m
raised from angel investors to grow FanCircles.
Admit one
2024
03 · How I work
Everybody wins, or it doesn't count.
[Takes off the tour laminate] Right, the serious bit.
I’ve never cared much for bling. I care about doing things right. Every business I’ve run starts with the same question. Does this make life better for the people using it? If it does, they’re happy they picked you, and the rest tends to follow.
01
Help people first
Every business I’ve started was built to help someone else before it helped me. Do that properly and people stay because they want to, not because they have to.
02
Only get paid when it works
Affiliate Window was built on it. Merchants only paid commission when they made a sale, and affiliates were paid for real results. Nobody paid for hot air, so everybody was happy.
03
Make it a great day out
With LatestEvents the job was simple. Get fans to the gig, give them a brilliant day and get them home again. Small details, done right, every single time.
04
Let people own what they make
FanCircles gives artists their own apps and their own fan data. Their fans, their relationship, their business.
04 · Advice and boards
I've sat where you're sitting. A few times.
I advise startup and growth companies, and I’ve sat on the boards of other businesses. I’ve started companies from scratch, written the software myself, raised money, bought a business and sold a majority stake in one. If you’re building something and want someone in your corner who’s done the hard bits, let’s talk.
I’ll tell you what I really think. Nicely. That’s usually the useful bit.
Where I can help
- Getting a startup off the ground, from the first build to the first customers
- Growing through partners and affiliates
- Raising money and talking to investors
- Buying a business, or selling a stake in yours
- Music, fans and direct-to-fan businesses
- A steady pair of hands on your board
05 · The music bit
I've spent a lot of my life backstage.
Music runs through almost everything I’ve done. LatestEvents took fans to the gigs. Zoo Management took The Australian Pink Floyd Show from small venues to The O2, and made the concert film Live from the Hammersmith Apollo, shown on PBS in the US. FanCircles builds apps for artists and their biggest fans.
The setlist is artists and shows I’ve worked with over the years, from Spike Island to FanCircles. The encore is a TV show about ghosts. Every good tour needs a surprise.
Setlist
Various venues
- The Stone Roses, Spike Island
- The Australian Pink Floyd Show
- The South
- Robbie Williams, Roundhouse
- UB40
- Culture Club
- Wolf Alice
- Wet Wet Wet
- Paloma Faith
- The Levellers
- Ed Harcourt
- The Alarm
- Encore: Most Haunted
06 · In the press
Read all about it.
A few of the people who wrote about it at the time. Every link, and a few more, is on my story page.
Campaign
Axel Springer and PubliGroupe take a majority stake in Digital Window
↗
TechCrunch
AOL sells the buy.at affiliate network to Digital Window
↗
The Drum
Affiliate Window launches in the US
↗
Music Week
Six questions for me as GigRev CEO
↗
IQ Magazine
GigRev beats its Seedrs target in its first year
↗
Music Business Worldwide
FanCircles raises $2 million
↗
Music Ally
Superfan startup FanCircles raises $2m
↗
Net Influencer
Fans versus followers, inside FanCircles
↗
07 · Contact
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know anything more about me, or you’ve got something you think I’d be into, drop me a line. No forms, just me.
Or find me on LinkedIn.