The government is encouraging music, theatre and sport ticket agents to adopt a new code of conduct in a bid to stamp out ticket touts. The launch of the code follows those previously reported concerns among event promoters about the growing number of tickets touts, and the increasingly large commissions they charge. Those concerns follow in particular the growth of online ticket touts and fears that agencies like the now defunct getmetickets.net, who charged incredibly large commissions, are giving the whole live industry a bad reputation.
Speaking at a meeting of the live entertainments sector, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell launched the code, warning that the rise of the ticket tout meant that live entertainment events were becoming "the preserve of people with bulging wallets". She added: "I want to see ticket agencies squeezing ticket touts out of business to protect genuine fans from being frozen out of the market".
The code is voluntary and doesn't aim to stop the reselling of tickets completely, for example it is felt genuine fans who buy tickets for an event but can then not attend should be able to sell their tickets on. However, it is hoped measures such as limiting the number of tickets individuals can buy, blacklisting known touts and ensuring legitimate agencies have effective returns policies will make it difficult for professional ticket touts to prosper.
Concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who has been particularly vocal in airing his concerns about ticket touts of late, agrees that some kind of industry code needs to be adopted, and says that the sector is close to reaching agreement on what that code should be. He told reporters: "We are edging towards coming up with a code of practice that everyone in the industry can subscribe to in order to control ticket touting".