Ice bucket challenge videos lead to sharp rises in pop-star ticket demand - Lily Allen ticket demand spikes by a cool 48% following her charity clip

Lily Allen has experienced a 48% jump in her ticket demand after posting a video online of herself performing the ice bucket challenge, according to music discovery service Timbre.

Ed Sheeran, following his video, saw traffic rise by 54% for his European tour. The challenge itself involves having a bucket of ice cold water poured over the volunteer’s head, with the aim of raising awareness of neurodegenerative illness ALS.

The rise in ticket demand for Lily and Ed highlights the extent of the current craze which has also seen Bill Gates, Simon Cowell and Oprah Winfrey take part in the challenge.

A spokesperson for Timbre commented: “The ice bucket challenge seems to have come out of nowhere with people from all walks of life getting involved in an attempt to raise awareness of ALS, which is a serious neurodegenerative illness. The craze currently shows no sign of slowing as these videos of sodden celebrities, co-workers and friends continue to populate our Facebook feeds and spark media interest.”.