Oasis tour promoters to cancel 50k resale tickets
Promoters of Oasis’ reunion concerts say they will cancel up to 50,000 tickets listed on unofficial resale sites for the tour’s UK leg.
Live Nation and SJM told BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 the invalidated tickets would be re-listed at face value on Ticketmaster.
Oasis Live ’25 was the biggest concert launch ever seen in UK and Ireland, with over 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to buy tickets for the 1.4 million tickets available for the group’s first shows since 2009.
Strict anti-touting measures were put in place in a bid to ensure tickets are resold for no more than face value and booking fees, with Twickets selected as the tour’s official ticket resale platform.
“Ticket resale is permitted at no more than the price you paid (face value + booking fees),” read a message on the Oasis website prior to the 31 August on-sale. “Please only use the official resale partners www.twickets.live and Ticketmaster. Selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach these T&Cs and those tickets may be cancelled.”
The promoters said they would begin the process of voiding tickets deemed to have breached the terms and conditions shortly.
“Fans will be the beneficiaries of this action when any cancelled tickets go back on sale at face value”
“These terms and conditions were successfully put in place to take action against secondary ticketing companies reselling tickets for huge profit,” they say in a statement. “Only 4% of tickets have ended up on resale sites. Some major tours can see up to 20% of tickets appearing via the major unauthorised secondary platforms.
“All parties involved with the tour continue to urge fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorised websites as some of these may be fraudulent and others subject to cancellation.”
Speaking to IQ, FanFair Alliance campaign manager Adam Webb praises the move.
“It’s great to see Oasis take these measures to enforce their T&Cs,” he says. “To be clear, they are not cancelling tickets bought by fans – they are cancelling tickets unlawfully acquired by touts. That’s a very different thing. Some of these tickets might not even have been resold. And obviously fans will be the beneficiaries of this action when any cancelled tickets go back on sale at face value.”
Viagogo’s Matt Drew told File on 4 that “2%” of Oasis tickets had appeared on Viagogo and Stubhub, and indicated the secondary sites would not be deterred from offering them for resale.
“We will continue to sell them in the way the regulator says we can,” he said. “We are serving a clear consumer need, we will continue doing it on that basis.”
“For the upcoming Oasis world tour, the only shows for which tickets are not being touted on Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg are the two at Croke Park in Dublin”
In a previous high-profile case, organisers of Ed Sheeran’s 2018 ÷ Tour stadium run cancelled around 10,000 tickets after Viagogo refused a request from Sheeran’s team not to list the tickets for resale. Labour MP Sharon Hodgson referenced the singer during last week’s secondary ticketing hearing in parliament.
“I do not want this debate to end without mentioning Ed Sheeran and how much he has done to try to tackle the scourge of ticket touting,” said Hodgson. “Lots of other artists, such as Iron Maiden, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons and many others have tried, but Ed Sheeran went above and beyond by cancelling tickets when they had been resold. Taylor Swift never did that because she did not want to break the hearts of all her fans, but Ed Sheeran has been a real warrior in that regard.”
With the new Labour government preparing to launch a consultation into the resale market, Hodgson highlighted the impact of ticketing legislation introduced in Ireland in 2021.
“For the upcoming Oasis world tour, the only shows for which tickets are not being touted on Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg are the two at Croke Park in Dublin,” she said.
Cast were this week confirmed as the opening act for Oasis’ 19-date UK and Ireland tour leg, joining previously announced special guest Richard Ashcroft on the bill. The on-sale became marred by a dynamic ticketing row that triggered multiple inquiries in the UK and Ireland. In the wake of the backlash, the band’s team opted against utilising the pricing strategy for their subsequent North America and Australia sales to “hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues”.
“It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a useful tool to combat ticket touting and keep prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate and thus more affordable,” they said in a statement. “But, when unprecedented ticket demand (where the entire tour could be sold many times over at the moment tickets go on sale) is combined with technology that cannot cope with that demand, it becomes less effective and can lead to an unacceptable experience for fans.”
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UK culture minister: ‘Change is coming’ on resale
UK culture minister Chris Bryant has vowed that “change is coming” on secondary ticketing during a parliamentary debate.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to introduce new legislation to cap ticket resale as part of the Labour Party manifesto, with the UK government set to launch a consultation into the market imminently.
The subject was discussed at Westminster Hall yesterday (24 October) in a hearing instigated by Labour and Co-operative MP Emma Foody.
“The issue profoundly affects music and sport fans, event-goers and the integrity of our live entertainment industry, but it appears to be inadequately addressed by current regulatory frameworks,” said Foody. “People understand that they will not always get a ticket to the show, gig or game, but they feel a real sense of injustice at the scale of secondary ticketing platforms, with tickets often appearing just moments after people have attempted to purchase them.
“While allowing a space for those tickets to be resold is important, it is also important that that is not to the detriment of consumers.”
“There is no point bringing forward new laws if we cannot enforce them”
Bryant gave an idea of the timescale involved in any legislation, but stressed that a key matter going forward would be enforcement.
“There is no point bringing forward new laws if we cannot enforce them,” he said. “We made manifesto commitments during the general election that we are absolutely determined to implement.
“As for when they will be implemented in legislation, we have had one King’s Speech; there will be another one coming along. I do not want to tell the Leader of the House precisely who will have what Bills at what time, because I might not stay in my post if I keep doing that, but if there is a Bill at some point, we will have to ensure that we sort out the enforcement issue. That is one element on which we will be consulting.
“We want to make sure that every single element of the legislation that we eventually bring forward works, does what it says on the tin and is able to be enforced.”
Bryant said a consultation would be launched “in the very near future”.
“I do not want to completely ban people from selling tickets,” he added. “If someone has bought four tickets but suddenly only two people can go, because somebody is ill or they have to change the dates, it is perfectly legitimate that they should be able to sell the tickets on.
“They might also want to be able to recoup not only the cost of the tickets themselves but some additional costs. That is one of the things we want to consult on, and what would be a suitable cap. I note the point that has been made about a level of 20%, which some people think is too high. Some people think that 10% would be too high; some people think that it would be too low. We need to make sure we get the level right.”
“I want openness in dynamic pricing. People should be able to understand from the very beginning if that is the process they are entering into”
Last month, the government responded to the Oasis reunion tour sale controversy by saying that it would be adding the use of dynamic pricing into the consultation.
“I want openness in dynamic pricing,” he said. “People should be able to understand from the very beginning if that is the process they are entering into.
“There are versions of dynamic pricing that do work, and we do not want to ban those. I would argue that the early-bird tickets… are a perfectly legitimate part of the whole equation. They sometimes bring money into venues early on, and we do not want to ban that.”
Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, who has long campaigned for regulation of the secondary ticketing market, first introduced her private members’ bill on the topic back in 2010. She said the change in government had created a “watershed opportunity to create the change we desperately need”.
“Change is coming, so they should start getting ready for it, because that is what we are determined to deliver”
Recent research by O2 and YouGov indicated that ticket touts are costing music fans in the UK an extra £145 million (€174m) a year. And referencing the successful prosecution of two internet ticket touts for fraudulent trading in 2020, Hodgson noted the resale platforms faced no such sanctions in relation to the case.
“They kept their cumulative 25% service fees from the illegal transactions – if we do the numbers, we see that means millions of pounds – and they continue to profit from further illicit trading,” she said. “Where are all the illegal proceeds of crime? Why have they never been recovered?”
Hodgson added that legislation to outlaw resale for profit or to cap resale prices had worked well in other countries.
“Ireland saw a large drop in fraud after it implemented a version of – guess what? My private members’ bill,” she said. “For the upcoming Oasis world tour, the only shows for which tickets are not being touted on Viagogo, StubHub and Gigsberg are the two at Croke Park in Dublin.
“This is a golden opportunity to ensure that UK audiences receive similar protections and enjoy a capped, consumer-friendly and ethical resale market that works in their interests.”
Bryant concluded: “I say to all the people that I have referred to – Gigsberg, Viagogo, StubHub, Ticketmaster and all the rest – that change is coming, so they should start getting ready for it, because that is what we are determined to deliver.”
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Panel examines secondary ticketing ‘pain points’
The battle against industrial-scale ticket touting in the UK came under the spotlight once more in a panel discussion in London hosted by O2.
The conversation, which featured Virgin Media O2’s Gareth Griffiths, FanFair Alliance campaign manager Adam Webb and Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, chair of the APPG on ticket abuse, examined the pain points in the secondary ticketing market and explored what government and online businesses can do to protect consumers.
Presented by broadcaster Sinead Garvan, it followed research by O2 and YouGov, which indicated that ticket touts are costing music fans in the UK an extra £145 million (€174m) a year.
“Ticketing is a massive part of what we do,” explained Griffiths, director, partnerships and sponsorship at Virgin Media O2. “We sold 1.4m Priority Tickets last year, so this is a really big deal for us. We see our customers having a very hard time trying to buy tickets within the secondary market. It’s massively relevant to the core of our business, and we just want to make sure our customers get a fair deal.”
Based on a online survey of 2,044 adults, the data also revealed that approximately one in five tickets end up on a resale platform, while almost half (48%) of music fans who have attended live music events found it difficult to identify a secondary ticketing site.
O2’s UK venue sponsorship portfolio includes The O2 and 20 O2 Academy venues across the country. O2 stopped more than 50,000 suspected bots from entering its Priority customer reward platform over a six-week period, and Griffiths observed that touting had become “more technically advanced” since the pandemic.
“Now we’ve got a Labour government, we’re going to do something about it”
“We see presales all the time where you see 50-60,000 people in the waiting room for a really hot show, and you know that two-thirds of those are probably bots,” he said. “The real challenge for us now is fighting technology with technology, and we’re really looking into that in terms of the way our ticketing platform works, in terms of where our mobile business works, but it’s ramped up massively off the back of the shows coming back from Covid.”
Hodgson, who has campaigned against abuses in the market for more than a decade, said she was not surprised by the findings.
“I think they’re the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “I think it’s a lot more than £145 million if we were able to properly quantify it, and the lack of awareness didn’t surprise me either.
“The Metropolitan Police had an operation called Operation Podium to ensure that the Olympic tickets weren’t totally abused. They wrote a report afterwards, and basically said secondary ticketing and ticketing in general in this country was rife with criminality, organised crime and money laundering. And we’ve known that since 2012 and here we are, 12 years later, and thankfully, now we’ve got a Labour government, we’re going to do something about it.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to introduce new legislation to cap ticket resale, with the UK government preparing to launch a consultation into the secondary ticketing market. Hodgson offered an update on the likely timescale involved in terms of reform.
“Well, this parliament definitely, so that’s a long timescale,” she said. “There wasn’t a Bill in this King’s Speech… so it’s not going to be within the next year or so. Hopefully the consultation will happen over the next year, and then there’ll be a Bill brought forward in the next King’s Speech, so mid-term this parliament. I can’t wait.”
“The only two Oasis shows that weren’t listed on the secondaries were the two shows at Croke Park in Ireland… Legislation is a key part of solving this”
Webb discussed the lessons that could be learned from regulation introduced in other countries, such as Ireland, France and Australia.
“In Ireland, there was a Sale of Tickets Act introduced in 2021 basically outlawing resale,” he said. “The only two Oasis shows that weren’t listed on the secondaries were the two shows at Croke Park in Ireland. So it’s not the total solution, but you can see that legislation is a key part of solving this.
“The good thing now is that we’ve got the opportunity in the UK to look around the world, and actually design something better.”
Hodgson praised the anti-touting efforts of artists such as Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons, Iron Maiden and Arctic Monkeys.
“Right from the start, they could see this was so unfair and didn’t want their fans being ripped off,” she said. “What is the true price, the fair price, the market price [of a ticket]? It should be the price that the artists with their management have decided is the price they want their fans to pay.”
“You’re never going to completely eradicate ticket touting, but you can minimise it”
Nevertheless, she noted that, unlike Sheeran, Taylor Swift’s team had not followed through on their threat to cancel tickets bought via non-official resale sites for her Eras Tour.
“The first concert in Edinburgh, we were waiting with bated breath, what’s she going to do?” said Hodgson. “And she didn’t cancel the tickets, because maybe her fans are so much younger… She was trying to protect her tickets, but when it came down to it, she wasn’t prepared to break the hearts of thousands.”
The influence of search engines in facilitating resale was also brought up. Viagogo was banned from advertising on Google globally in July 2019 after the latter came under fire from lawmakers for allegedly accepting advertising money from sites listing tickets fraudulently, but the ban was quietly lifted four months later.
“It’s been a bit of a journey with Google in that they’ve been receptive at certain points,” said Webb. “For three months, Google removed them from their advertising networks and in that period their traffic absolutely flatlined… If you take either the touts away or you take Google away, there’s no business.”
He added: “I’m pretty glass half full. The frustrating thing for me is that I don’t think it’s that hard to sort out. I think legislation is key to get Google to do the right thing. And again, clearly they need legislation for their lawyers to understand this, and then for the industry to make it easier to resell the ticket.
“You’re never going to completely eradicate ticket touting, but you can minimise it and reduce it to a level. And again, the music industry has been here before with things like piracy for the recorded sector, which was completely out of control. And now, obviously, you’ve got streaming services and a very buoyant recorded market. It’s a similar journey, I think.”
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Ticket touts ‘costing UK gig-goers £145m a year’
Ticket touts are costing music fans in the UK an extra £145 million (€174m) a year, according to new research by O2 and YouGov.
O2 has shared data based on a recent online survey of 2,044 adults, which reveals that approximately one in five tickets end up on a resale platform, while almost half (48%) of music fans who have attended live music events find it difficult to identify a secondary ticketing site.
In addition, O2, which sold 1.4 million tickets via its Priority customer reward platform in 2023, says it stopped more than 50,000 suspected bots from entering the platform over a six-week period, and is calling on the government and online platforms to do more to protect consumers.
“We are tired of professional ticket touts abusing the ticket marketplace and stealing tickets out of fans’ hands, only to immediately re-list them at inflated prices,” says Gareth Griffiths, director, partnerships and sponsorship at O2. “Music fans deserve the chance to buy tickets at a price set by their favourite artist, but all too often they are forced to pay a price decided by a stranger on the internet. Consumers deserve more protection and better information about the tickets they’re paying for.”
The £145m figure was calculated using data from UK Music’s Here, There and Everywhere 2023 report and YouGov survey data.
“We will not stop until we are fully confident in the fairness of the UK’s ticketing industry”
O2, which is a longtime supporter of UK-based FanFair Alliance, which campaigns against industrial-scale ticket touting, says better legislation, clearer information and clearer identification is required to help combat confusion in the marketplace.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has previously pledged to introduce new legislation to cap ticket resale, with the UK government currently preparing to launch a consultation into the secondary ticketing market. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy told the Labour Party conference earlier this week: “We’re taking action on rip-off ticket touts because culture belongs to everybody.”
Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, who is chair of the APPG for ticket abuse, adds: “I have fought tirelessly alongside FanFair Alliance to end ticketing abuse and ensure that my constituents, and people across our country, have fair access to the events that bring us together, without falling victim to exploitative touts.
“These new insights serve to further demonstrate the desire amongst music fans for change and we look forward to collaborating with O2 and the music industry to bring that change about. We will not stop until we are fully confident in the fairness of the UK’s ticketing industry.”
Last week in the US, the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alleging widespread violations of the BOTS Act by ticket resellers. The advocacy group’s complaint is backed by dozens of signatories including Red Light Management, Q Prime, Arrival Artists, Ground Control Touring, Mint Talent Group and Paladin Artists.
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UK govt rejects CMA’s calls to tighten resale laws
The UK government has rejected the recommendations of the British competition regulator to tighten laws around online ticket touting.
In a 2021 report, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) proposed stronger rules to deal with illegal activity on non-price-capped secondary ticketing sites, including measures to clamp down on the bulk-buying of tickets as well as the practice of “speculative ticketing”, where sellers list tickets they don’t yet own.
Other suggestions included ensuring platforms are fully responsible for incorrect information about tickets that are listed for sale on their websites, and a new system of licensing for platforms that sell secondary tickets that would enable an authority to act quickly and issue sanctions.
However, in the government’s response, business secretary Kevin Hollinrake MP says he is “not convinced” by the need for additional legislative changes.
“I am not convinced that the additional costs that would fall on ticket buyers (as regulatory costs would be passed on) are justified by the degree of harm set out in your report,” says Hollinrake. “This is especially the case when we are already proposing to give the CMA additional administrative powers to protect consumers which the CMA could deploy in the secondary ticketing market.
“However, we propose to keep the position on maximum numbers of ticket resales under review as part of our ongoing monitoring of the legislative landscape in the ticketing market and in the light of technological, enforcement and other market developments.”
“It appears the uncapped market may still provide a service of value to some consumers”
He continues: “The government notes and agrees with the CMA recommendation that there should not be a ban on the uncapped secondary ticket market. Whilst both the way tickets are sold and used are changing and there is a growing authorised capped ticket resale market to help those who can no longer use their purchased ticket, it appears the uncapped market may still provide a service of value to some consumers.”
Hollinrake argues that is “too soon to conclude that the only way forward is further legislation focused on this market”.
“As you are aware, there are a number of improvements to other aspects of consumer law which we have now published in our response to the 2021 consultation,” he adds. “These will be our priority in the immediate future, rather than changes to the secondary ticketing regime specifically.”
“The government has effectively given bad actors a free pass to continue acquiring tickets in bulk to popular events and to engage in speculative and fraudulent selling”
Sharon Hodgson MP, chair of the APPG on ticket abuse, says the group is “struggling to understand” why the government has turned down the CMA’s recommendations.
“In August 2021, the CMA made it clear to the government that a handful of additional safeguards could help reduce the scale of unlawful online ticket touting, and better protect consumers,” says Hodgson. “Nineteen months on, and all their recommendations have been rejected. We are still struggling to understand why, and on what basis.
“Rather than improving the capacity of enforcement agencies to clamp down on malpractice, the government has effectively given bad actors a free pass to continue acquiring tickets in bulk to popular events and to engage in speculative and fraudulent selling. These individuals can make extraordinary profits at the expense of ordinary fans who are left ripped off and out of pocket.
“The UK is rightly proud of its live event industry, but an uncontrolled black market risks harming the consumer experience and wreaking untold damage on the sector overall.”
“The experiences of consumers appear to have been overlooked entirely”
Adam Webb, campaign manager of UK-based campaign against industrial-scale online ticket touting FanFair Alliance, shares similar sentiments.
“In August 2021, the Competition & Markets Authority published a series of common sense recommendations to the government that aimed to further protect consumers from being ripped off by unscrupulous ticket touts and parasitical ticket resale sites,” he says. “These included new measures to clamp down on the unlawful bulk-buying of tickets and large-scale speculative fraud, where rogue traders list tickets for sale that they do not possess. Research by FanFair Alliance has shown these problems remain rampant on certain secondary ticketing platforms.
“Nineteen months down the line, and, despite overwhelming evidence of continuing bad practice, the government has today comprehensively rejected the CMA’s advice – without, we believe, consulting with experts, campaigners or the live music industry.
“The experiences of consumers appear to have been overlooked entirely. Although much progress has been made in recent years to tame the UK’s black market for tickets, FanFair Alliance shares the views of the CMA that further action is still required to tackle these evident and ongoing problems with online secondary ticketing.”
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UK MPs urge Google action on Viagogo
The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse, along with campaign group FanFair Alliance and the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR), has written to Google urging the web giant to stop taking advertising from what they describe as “one of the world’s least-trusted” brands, Viagogo.
In the letter, addressed to Google’s president of EMEA business and operations, Matt Brittin, and managing director in the UK and Ireland, Ronan Harris, the signatories highlight how, despite 2018 having seen “major progress in tackling online ticket touting” – and Google having “played an important part in his change” with its new certification system for ticket resellers – Viagogo still tops Google’s search listings for many high-profile shows.
The controversial secondary ticketing site is currently the subject of legal action by the Competition and Markets Authority for alleged breaches of consumer law, and last week once again snubbed a UK parliamentary inquiry at the 11th hour, leaving StubHub’s Wayne Grierson as the sole representative from the resale sector.
“We urge you to protect consumers who daily put their trust in Google and act now to restrict Viagogo’s ability to pay for prominence”
With Viagogo believed to operating illegally in the UK, the letter suggests accepting advertising from Viagogo breaches Google’s own AdWords guidelines, which “state clearly that advertisers are expected ‘to comply with the local laws for any area that their ads target’”.
Speaking to IQ in June, a Google rep said the company does not comment on specific advertisers, but that it is committed to working with the music industry to protect consumers.
The letter is reproduced in full below:
Matt Brittin, President of EMEA Business & Operations
Ronan Harris, Managing Director UK and Ireland
Google,
1-13 St Giles High St,
London,
WC2H 8AG
Friday 7th September 2018
Dear Matt and Ronan,
This year has seen major progress in tackling online ticket touting.
Google has played an important part in this change. In February 2018, Google launched a new certification system for ticket resellers, with the aim of providing clearer information for consumers. However, Viagogo’s use of Google paid-for search to achieve prominence to consumers continues to concern all signatories to this letter, now more than ever.
On Friday August 31st, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) issued court proceedings against Viagogo for potential breaches of consumer protection law.
Last Wednesday (September 5th), Viagogo failed for the second time to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in an evidence session on secondary ticketing. The Committee’s Chair, Damian Collins MP, described this as a “pattern of evasion, disrespectful to the House and disrespectful to consumers.”
“If you’ve got nothing to hide, the truth will do you no harm,” he added. “If you want to be safe, do not buy tickets from Viagogo.”
Repeated research by FanFair Alliance has highlighted how Viagogo systematically tops Google results for tickets, even when primary inventory is still widely available or, most worryingly, when the tickets listed will be invalid for entry at the event.
This results in confusion, and risks your users clicking through to Viagogo unaware they are being transferred to a ticket reseller.
Working with the campaign group Victim of Viagogo, FanFair has helped many individuals who believe they were mis-sold tickets to claim back hundreds of thousands of pounds. The vast majority of these customers tell us they were led to Viagogo through Google search and unaware they were buying a resold ticket.
It is an untenable situation.
In effect, one of the world’s most trusted brands – Google – is being paid to actively promote one of the least trusted.
Viagogo’s search advertising is also, we believe, breaking Google’s own AdWords guidelines. These state clearly that advertisers are expected “to comply with the local laws for any area that their ads target” and that Google will “generally err on the side of caution in applying this policy because we don’t want to allow content of questionable legality.”
We understand that Viagogo is a valuable client to Google, spending considerable sums each year on paid search advertising.
However, we urge you to protect consumers who daily put their trust in Google, and act now to restrict Viagogo’s ability to pay for prominence.
We look forward to working with you to achieve these goals,
Sharon Hodgson MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse
Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance
Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive, Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR)
Countersigned by:
Nigel Adams MP
Pete Wishart MP
Lord Tim Clement-Jones CBE
Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum
Claire Turnham, Founder, Victim of Viagogo
Lucie Caswell, Chief Executive, Featured Artists Coalition
Martin Ingham, Chair, National Arenas Association
Michael Dugher, Chief Executive, UK Music
Neil Tomlinson, President, The Entertainment Agents’ Association
Paul Reed, Association of Independent Festivals
Phil Bowdery, Chair, Concert Promoters Association
Star (full member list at star.org.uk/all-members)
Julian Bird, CEO, Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre
David Allfrey, Chief Executive & Producer, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edward Snape, Chair, League of Independent Producers
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
Sport and Recreation Alliance (SRA)
Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC)
Rugby Football Union (RFU)
The Football Association (FA)
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IEA: Have to accept some people will miss out on big shows
The secondary market is a natural consequence of demand for concert tickets outstripping the supply, and any kind of cap on resale prices is both unworkable and contrary to the “basic realities of economics”.
That’s the view of Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), who has argued that the growing movement to curb ticket resale in the UK is the result of failure to properly grasp the economic concepts of scarcity and value.
Writing in the Times, Littlewood (pictured), who has led the influential free-market think tank since 2009, says anti-touting campaigners “have to accept that popular live events will always involve disappointed people missing out”. Using the example of Ed Sheeran’s latest album, ÷, which was streamed more than 200 million times in its first week of release, Littlewood says if 200m people wanted to see Sheeran live, “he would have to perform at Wembley Stadium every night for more than seven and a half years. Sheeran’s already hectic schedule is unlikely to make this feasible.”
He also argues that it is “folly” to believe a ticket’s face value “somehow reflects its intrinsic, objective value”. “As with all other goods and services, a ticket is worth whatever someone will legally pay for it,” he writes. “A rare chance to see my beloved Southampton FC play at Wembley may not be worth the £90 asking price to the overwhelming majority of people, but it is worth it many times over to me.”
“It is folly to believe a ticket’s face value somehow reflects its intrinsic, objective value”
This, he says, “highlights the absurdity” of a proposal by Labour MP Sharon Hodgson to cap resale prices at 10% above face value. “Why would we apply a legal cap on the mark-up of ticket prices, but not on other things?” Littlewood asks. “If in 1938 you purchased the first issue of Action Comics, featuring the debut of Superman, for 10¢, you could now sell it for more than $3 million. Presumably, Ms Hodgson believes you should only be allowed to sell it for 11¢ – or, if she is willing to take account of inflation, for a maximum price of $1.84.”
The secondary market, then, is necessary to allow those who can afford to buy access to shows they otherwise would have no chance of attending, Littlewood concludes.
“The reason that you can get into some events – if you have the cash and are willing to spend it – but may be unable attend others, irrespective of the financial sacrifice you are willing to make, hinges on whether an effective secondary market in ticket sales is allowed to operate,” he writes.
“Secondary markets in tickets are not a modern phenomenon. In ancient Rome, tickets for gladiatorial games or chariot races were typically given away. This led to the swift growth of the locarii – a profession dedicated to the purchase and resale of these tickets, which were made of shards of pottery. With modern technologies, today’s resale market is rather more sophisticated, but the principle remains the same: to get things into the hands of people who want them more than the people who currently own them.”
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MPs slam Viagogo secrecy: “Odd practice” for ‘legitimate co’
British parliamentarians have written to Viagogo to express their concern over the culture of “secrecy” at the controversial secondary ticketing business, which is reportedly instructing receptionists to deny the company is based at its new UK HQ on Fenchurch Street, London.
In a letter dated 18 July, Nigel Adams MP – who sat on the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee at the time of Viagogo’s infamous no-show – and Sharon Hodgson MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse, call on Viagogo to provide “more transparency about its UK presence” and advise on how both they and their constituents can “engage” with the notoriously publicity-shy business.
Viagogo in the UK is now trading as VGL Services, with one listed active director, Prabah Shah, a ‘digital marketer’ who founded the company Online Seller UK.
“We recently learned with interest that VGL Services/Viagogo are now operating from address at 71 Fenchurch Street,” write Adams and Hodgson to Shah. “This is different from the address listed with Companies House, and we understand that despite journalists and consumer advocates seeing correspondence for Viagogo on the reception desk in the building, the reception desk has been instructed to deny that Viagogo has offices there. We find this an odd practice for a company that contends it is behaving in an entirely above-board manner.”
“Despite journalists and consumer advocates seeing correspondence for Viagogo on the reception desk, it has been instructed to deny Viagogo has offices there”
The MPs also rebuke Viagogo for its snub of the CMS Committee’s inquiry, saying the company had told the committee it “did not have sufficient capacity in the UK [to attend] – something we had trouble believing given that clearly the operation is of significant size, as there were between 40 and 50 positions with Viagogo in the UK being advertised online at the time. We do hope that should be the committee resume this inquiry in the current parliament, Viagogo will be more forthcoming.
“However, it is also of concern to us an elected representatives that we, and the committee clerks, had such difficulty getting in touch. This seems to us to be somewhat obstructive, as select committees and their inquiries are an important part of public accountability. Additionally many of our colleagues have been contacted by constituents who have been Viagogo customers with issues and wish to make their own representations to Viagogo.
“They should be able to do so. In light of these issues, we would appreciate more transparency from Viagogo about its UK presence, and how we can engage.”
It is illegal to list an “unauthorised address” for a company trading in the UK.
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