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Taking a leaf out of Adele's book, the Singaporean promoter is preparing to turn away fans who have bought tickets on the secondary market next April
By IQ on 22 Nov 2016
Chris Martin of Coldplay at the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day concert
image © Mary Nichols/DJ Fusion
Live Nation Lushington, the promoter of Coldplay’s show at the National Stadium in Singapore next April, has revealed it is voiding tickets resold on the secondary market at the request of the band.
In a statement, the company – a joint venture between Live Nation and local promoter Lushington Entertainments – says it has already cancelled “a number of tickets found on the resale market, as this contravenes our term and conditions of sale. We would like to urge all fans to refrain from purchasing tickets through unauthorised resellers, as these may have already been voided and holders will be denied access to venue.”
As a tactic to deter resale, the invalidating of touted tickets has also been used by Adele, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Radiohead.
Live Nation Lushington also says it is “confident that we can open up a little more inventory in the coming days to cope with the very significant demand” for the sold-out show, scheduled for 1 April at the 55,000-capacity venue.
“We urge all fans to refrain from purchasing tickets through unauthorised resellers, as these may have already been voided and holders will be denied access to venue”
Leading ticket resale site StubHub blames the primary market – which still largely releases tickets in bulk at a specified time – for the growth in secondary ticketing, while figures as diverse as economist Michael Waterson and Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino have called for greater variation in pricing, with Rapino saying most acts are simultaneously scared to charge high sums for front-row seats and less for seats at the back – “generally not a good brand position” – and upset that secondary ticketing sites are profiting from it.
In this case, however, Live Nation Lushington managing director Michael Roche says Coldplay asked for prices to be kept low. “Our ticket prices were originally a little bit higher and they said, ‘No, move that price’,” he tells The Straits Times. “They really care.”
Roche also reveals to the paper that he’s aware of the recent scandal over secondary ticketing in Italy, where Live Nation Italy admitted passing tickets directly to Viagogo, but denies that is the case with Lushington.
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