A group of over 40 British musicians, including Radiohead, Dua LipaAnd Coldplaysigned statement British government with a request to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make good on its promise to crack down on “extortionist and malicious” websites that resell concert tickets.
In a statement, artists including Sam Fender, PJ Harvey, Robert Smith of The Cure, Iron Maiden, New Order and Nick Cave asked the government to take action against “secondary ticketing” platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub.
“For too long, some resale platforms have allowed advertisers to buy in bulk and then resell tickets at inflated prices, forcing fans to either overpay or give up tickets entirely,” they write. “This undermines confidence in the live events sector and undermines the efforts of artists and organizers to make shows accessible and affordable.”
The statement calls for strict caps on resale prices to “help correct elements of the predatory and destructive secondary ticket market that serve the interests of advertisers whose exploitative practices prevent true fans from accessing the music, theater and sports they love.”
Other signatories include UK Music, FanFair Alliance and the Football Supporters Association. The letter, produced in conjunction with research from consumer group Which?, said stopping commercial resale would make it easier for fans to spot illegal behavior and would discourage fans from seeking ticket resale on less regulated sites.
“Today's joint statement makes clear that artists, fan organizations and consumers reject a broken ticketing market that has allowed promotions to thrive for too long,” Lisa Webb, Which? An expert in consumer law, according to a statement attached to the letter. “The Prime Minister has pledged to protect fans and capping the price of resold tickets will be a crucial step towards fixing the industry, but he must commit to upholding this legislation by including it in the next King's Speech. Further reforms are also needed to ensure that sellers actually own the tickets they advertise before putting them up for sale, that resale platforms ensure sellers' identities and key ticket information are verified, and that new rules are effectively enforced.”
Starmer's Labor government promised to cap ticket resale prices during the last general election but has yet to take action. In January, the government launched consultations on a cap that would limit price increases to between zero and 30 percent of the face value of a ticket.
Government Representative told the BBC“This government is fully committed to cracking down on the advertising campaign and doing everything possible to put fans back at the center of live events. We have carefully considered the evidence provided in response to our consultation earlier this year and will set out our plans shortly.”
Which? also published the results of a consumer study conducted in August and September. The organization looked at traders selling tickets to some of the UK's biggest events on Stubhub and Viagogo. Many of the tickets being resold were found to be grossly overpriced. For example, Tickets to Oasis The band's Wembley Stadium performance cost £3,498.85 on Stubhub and £4,442 on Viagogo. A ticket for the All Points East festival in London's Victoria Park, headlined by Ray, sold for £114,666 on Viagogo.
