Lots of people commenting on and welcoming the UK government’s proposed ban of for-profit ticket touting…
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy: “For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices. They’ve become a shadow industry on resale sites, acting without consequence. This government is putting fans first. Our new proposals will shut down the touts’ racket and make world-class music, comedy, theatre and sport affordable for everyone”.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle: “The UK is home to a brilliant range of music, entertainers and sporting stars - but when fans are shut out, it only benefits the touts. That’s why we’re taking these bold measures to smash their model to pieces and make sure more fans can enjoy their favourite stars at a fair price”.
Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of Parliament's Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee: “For too long the ticket resale market has been weighted in favour of those out to make a quick profit at the expense of genuine music and sports fans, so this action to crack down on unscrupulous sellers is long overdue but welcome. With our committee’s fan-led review of live music looking at ways to protect the interests of music lovers, I hope this move to tackle touting signals that the government is open to listening to what needs to be done to ensure the health of live performance in the UK”.
Sharon Hodgson MP, Chair of the APPG On Ticket Abuse: “Following fifteen years of campaigning, I am delighted that this Labour government has listened to fans, artists, athletes and venues and committed to reasonable measures to cap the secondary ticketing market. Today’s announcement is a monumental endorsement by this government of our live events sector and its potential to inspire current and future generations. I will continue to push the government to introduce a bill as soon as possible and, at long last, to put fans first”.
Dan Smith from Bastille: “It’s such great news that the government has stepped up and introduced a price cap on resale tickets - something I’ve been campaigning for alongside O2 and the FanFair Alliance for a long time. It’s a good step towards protecting music fans from being ripped off and will allow more genuine fans to see their favourite artists perform at face value prices. I am welcoming a world where there are no more resellers snapping up all of the tickets and massively inflating their prices”.
Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford and Ted Dwane from Mumford & Sons: “For years, many of us as artists have been pleading for changes to be made around secondary ticketing. We still feel so passionately about it. Touts and scalpers have run amok and taken advantage of the good will and passion of music fans for many years. This hurts both the fan and the artist, whatever the scale of the shows. This regulation will curb the predatory behaviour of these bad actors, often through pseudo-legitimate secondary ticketing systems, whilst preserving the ability for fans to resell if plans change. It’s going to have a major positive impact, especially on the affordability of getting to see your favourite gigs”.
Alt-J: "Last week, our band joined dozens of artists and music organisations urging the Prime Minister to clamp down on ticket touting through the introduction of a cap on ticket resale prices. Although we’re pleased the government has listened to this collective call, it is now imperative that they put these measures into place as quickly as possible”.
Stuart Camp from Grumpy Old Management, who manages Ed Sheeran: “For anyone who cares about music fans and ticket prices, today’s announcement is long overdue. We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact of price caps elsewhere in the world, and these proposals have the potential to transform the UK’s live music sector and protect audiences from exploitation. I trust they will be implemented without delay”.
Ian McAndrew from Wildlife Entertainment, which represents Arctic Monkeys and Fontaines DC: “Following years of campaigning, on behalf of artists and fans, for the reform of the broken secondary ticketing market, we are delighted and encouraged to learn that the government have listened and will now outlaw the resale of tickets for profit. The practice of illegally harvesting tickets to resell for hugely inflated prices and to speculatively sell tickets the seller does not own has blighted live music for nearly 20 years. These reforms will save concert goers millions of pounds each year and will ensure a better experience for all music fans”.
Adam Webb, Campaign Manager at FanFair Alliance: “This is fantastic news for music fans. It’s taken years of FanFair campaigning to get to this point, but having listened to the concerns of artists, campaigners and the wider music sector, the government now has a clear and pragmatic plan in place to tackle the scourge of exploitative online ticket touting. However, there is an urgency to deliver. Every day that passes before new legislation comes into effect, will see more fans ripped off by touts. For that reason alone, it is vital a cap on ticket resale prices is introduced and enforced at the earliest possible opportunity”.
Annabella Coldrick, CEO at Music Managers Forum: “Alongside a number of prominent manager members, we established the FanFair Alliance campaign against industrial-scale ticket touting in 2016 providing extensive evidence to Parliament and government of the damage to artists and fans from industrial-scale ticket touting. Change has been a long time coming, but it is hugely satisfying to see artists, music companies, consumer groups, regulators and policy makers come together in agreement on the urgent need for a price cap. This should be a game changing moment. We now look forward to the swift introduction of legislation and real improvements for UK music lovers”.
David Martin, CEO at Featured Artists Coalition: “Online ticket touting needlessly costs UK music fans hundreds of millions of pounds each year. For far too long, this money has literally been extracted from the UK’s live music sector, and deposited into the pockets of law-breaking touts and the offshore resale platforms they operate from. It’s why today’s announcement is so significant, and why it is so strongly supported by the Featured Artists Coalition. We believe that a price cap is the only way to curb the excesses and exploitation of the secondary ticketing market. It must be introduced without delay”.
Tom Kiehl, CEO at UK Music: “We are delighted to see the government take action to clamp down on unscrupulous touts and introduce caps in the secondary ticketing market. For too long, touts have been ripping off music fans with extortionate prices that hit both music lovers and our world-leading sector”.
Claire Walker, Co-CEO at Society Of London Theatre & UK Theatre: “Today’s announcement is good news for audiences. Theatres across the UK strive to offer fair and accessible pricing, and industrial-scale touting has long undermined that effort. Setting the cap at the original price paid, together with limits on additional fees, will help restore trust in the market and ensure fans are not paying inflated prices to third-party resellers. We will continue to support government in delivering a system that puts audiences first, with clear rules, strong enforcement, and safe, transparent ways to buy and resell tickets”.
Nathaniel Marro, Executive Director of the US National Independent Talent Organization: “NITO would like to applaud the UK government and of course the hard work and advocacy of the Featured Artists Coalition for this policy announcement. We hope policymakers stateside are paying attention and that reining in predatory resellers is a global movement. We at NITO agree that capping resale prices is the boldest and best way to protect fans and the artists they support".
Chris Lipscomb, Managing Director at primary ticketing company AXS UK: “We strongly support the UK government’s efforts to strengthen safeguards around ticket resale, which align with AXS’s longstanding practices in support of fair fan access and reduced exploitative markups. Our own experience using identity-based ticketing, anti-bot protections, and a fan-first resale marketplace has shown that these kinds of measures reinforce trust in the ticketing process”.
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships And Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2: “Today’s news is a victory for live music fans everywhere, and O2 is celebrating alongside them. After eight years campaigning for a fairer ticketing market alongside FanFair Alliance, we know this bold action promised by government will finally give concertgoers - and artists - the protection they deserve from exploitative ticket touts. We now urge the government to make no delay and act quickly on its word - it's time to restore fairness for all in live music”.
