A move to stop ‘organised’ touts from fleecing music and sports fans was announced yesterday amid proposals for a cap on ticket resale prices.
There is also a ‘call for evidence’ regarding the contentious practice of ‘dynamic pricing’ on authorized ticketing platforms, which caused outrage over the summer when tickets for the Oasis reunion concerts went on sale.
Through the public consultation, opinions will be sought on setting a limit on resale prices ranging from the original cost to a maximum increase of 30 percent, and also on restricting the volume of tickets resellers can offer to match the quantity they are permitted to buy on the primary market.
These proposed actions are intended to hinder organized scalpers from reselling numerous tickets at significantly inflated rates and to reduce the appeal of large-scale scalping activities.
Plans also include creating new legal obligations for ticket resale websites and apps so that they are held responsible by Trading Standards and the CMA for the accuracy of information they provide to fans.
Trading Standards can already issue fines of up to £5,000 for ticketing rule breaches, but the consultation will consider whether this cap should be increased.
The Government has made the move amid growing anger from people trying to buy tickets for concerts and other major events.
There is huge concern about the way professional touts bulk-buying tickets for popular concerts before reselling them at hugely inflated prices.
Noel and Liam Gallagher pose for a photo together to mark the Oasis comeback tour
Ministers have also put out a ‘call for evidence’ about the controversial practice of ‘dynamic pricing’ on official ticketing sites, which caused fury during the summer when tickets for the Oasis reunion dates went on sale
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘The chance to see your favourite musicians or sports team live is something all of us enjoy and everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets – but for too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices’
Group portrait of British rock band Oasis at Nomad Studios in Manchester in 1993
In the summer, the sale of tickets for Oasis’ long-awaited reunion sparked widespread fury.
At one point it was reported that tickets for the concerts were selling on resale sites for more than £6,000, about 40 times more than what was meant to be the face value of a standing ticket.
But the controversy over the Oasis ticket sale also centred around official ticket seller Ticketmaster’s decision to use ‘dynamic pricing’ which raises prices when demand is high.
Fans were left stunned when tickets shot up from £148 to £355 on what became known as ‘Supersonic Saturday’. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Ticketmaster over the issue.
Among those backing the move are DJ Fatboy Slim who believes it is ‘great to see money being put back into fans pockets instead of resellers’.
The 61-year-old told The Mirror: ‘Fully behind this effort to make sure more people can enjoy incredible arts and music events across the country without being ripped off.
‘It is part of the change this government were elected to make.’
His comments come were Oasis are not the only music act to have attracted the touts with Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay fans also seeing prices rocket.
Among those backing the move are DJ Fatboy Slim who believes it is ‘great to see money being put back into fans pockets instead of resellers’
At one point, the reselling website Viagogo was listing tickets for the Wembley July 25 gig for between £761 and £5,369
Meanwhile, for the Manchester July 11 gig, tickets on Viagogo cost between £687 and £9,041
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy added: ‘The chance to see your favourite musicians or sports team live is something all of us enjoy and everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets – but for too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices.’
‘As part of our Plan for Change, we are taking action to strengthen consumer protections, stop fans getting ripped off and ensure money spent on tickets goes back into our incredible live events sector, instead of into the pockets of greedy touts.’
A Ticketmaster spokesman said: ‘Ticketmaster is committed to making ticketing simple and transparent.
‘Since 2018, our resale has been capped at face value, providing fans a safe place to sell tickets they can’t use at the original price set by artists and event organisers.
‘We support proposals to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap. We also urge the Government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales.’
