With getting tough on ticket touts being in vogue, organisers of this week's Brit Awards have vowed to act "tough" against touts re-selling tickets to the event. They say tickets that have clearly been bought from non-legitimate sources, including via online auctions, will not be honoured on the night. And holders of those tickets will be locked in a cupboard and made to listen to James Blunt all night. They're getting really serious about this.
Tickets to the awards event are, of course, sold in aid of the charities the Brits support, including the Brit School For The Performing Arts And Technology and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, which has added to the resentment that tickets have been selling at a considerable mark up on eBay.
Event director Maggie Crowe told reporters on Friday: "We think it is unfair on the artists, the charity and music fans for touts to exploit the event. All of the artists who perform at the Brit Awards do so for free because the show is a charity fundraiser. The terms and conditions explicitly point out that tickets are non-transferable."
The Brits announcement on ticket touting comes amid previously reported wider concern among both live music promoters and political types about the growth in touting, especially of tickets for charity events.