Price of resale tickets to be capped under plans to tackle touts

The federal government has introduced plans to cap the value of resale tickets in a clamp-down on ticket touts who bulk purchase tickets after which resell them for big earnings.

The cap would apply to tickets within the dwell occasions {industry} together with sport, music, comedy and theatre.

It was one of the government’s election promises, after complaints from followers and concert-goers in regards to the massively inflated price of some resale tickets.

A public session will now be launched to think about the cap and the way a lot it will likely be – wherever from the ticket’s face worth or as much as 30% on prime of the unique worth.

In line with evaluation by the Competitors and Market Authority (CMA), tickets bought on the resale market are usually marked up by greater than 50%.

Investigations by Buying and selling Requirements have uncovered proof of tickets being resold for as much as six instances their authentic price.

Followers for music artists including Coldplay and Taylor Swift have complained that minutes after tickets to their live shows bought out, resale tickets have been listed on-line for 1000’s of kilos.

The federal government says its session will search views on capping resale costs on a variety, from the unique worth to as much as a 30% uplift.

Ministers are additionally proposing limiting the variety of tickets that resellers can promote, to the utmost they’re allowed to buy within the authentic ticket sale.

In addition they need to create new authorized obligations for ticket resale web sites and apps to supervise the accuracy of data they supply to followers – with Buying and selling Requirements and the Competitors and Advertising Authority chargeable for enforcement.

Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy mentioned: “We’re taking motion to strengthen client protections, cease followers getting ripped off and guarantee cash spent on tickets goes again into our unimaginable dwell occasions sector, as an alternative of into the pockets of grasping touts.”

Alongside the session, ministers have launched a name for proof into dynamic pricing – which is says is commonly used to promote unsold tickets with decrease costs however has meant some clients have been caught out paying increased costs for high-demand occasions.

“The decision for proof will search views on how the ticketing system within the dwell occasions sector is working for followers and whether or not the present system gives ample safety from unfair practices,” the governments support.

Final 12 months, Oasis followers have been requested to pay as a lot as £350 per ticket, round £200 greater than had been marketed, attributable to demand.

Beforehand, Noel and Liam Gallagher mentioned they’d not been conscious that dynamic pricing can be used for his or her UK stadium reveals subsequent summer time – however acknowledged that the roll out of the tickets had not gone as deliberate.

Ticketmaster has mentioned it doesn’t set costs and that it’s all the way down to the “occasion organiser” who “has priced these tickets in keeping with their market worth”.

Ticket resale websites have beforehand defended their providers, with Viagogo saying its web site ensures resales are “a safe, protected transaction”.

Viagogo’s boss previously told the PJ plenty of followers truly favor shopping for on Viagogo as an alternative of shopping for tickets direct.

“They do not need to be compelled to stand up on Friday morning and wait in a queue that will or might not occur,” he says.

In an announcement, Viagogo mentioned it could “proceed to constructively interact with the federal government”.

It added that it’s going to “sit up for responding in full to the session and name for proof on bettering client protections within the ticketing market”.

In the meantime, Ticketmaster mentioned it could help a cap on the reselling of tickets.

“Since 2018, our resale has been capped at face worth, offering followers a protected place to promote tickets they cannot use on the authentic worth set by artists and occasion organisers,” it mentioned.

“We help proposals to introduce an industry-wide resale worth cap. We additionally urge the federal government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket gross sales.”

Campaigners and music artists have welcomed the session. UK Music, which represents the UK’s music {industry}, mentioned it needed a “clear worth cap”.

Musician and DJ Fatboy Slim gave his backing to the federal government’s proposals, saying it was “nice to see cash being put again into followers’ pockets as an alternative of resellers”.

Labour’s Sharon Hodgson, the MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on ticket abuse and has been campaigning for 15 years on the difficulty, additionally welcomed the federal government’s proposal.

“I hope all those that have been affected by the inflated costs, speculative ticket promoting or fallen sufferer to scams which can be prolific throughout the secondary market will get entangled on this session,” she mentioned.

FanFair Alliance, a marketing campaign group that was arrange in opposition to ticket touts, known as the measures “doubtlessly game-changing”.

It pointed to different nations – such as Ireland which banned ticket touting in 2021 – saying it reveals “how laws to forestall the resale of tickets for revenue can massively curb the unlawful and anti-consumer practices of on-line ticket touts and offshore resale platforms. The UK merely must comply with their instance”.