Secondary Ticketing - CMU | the music business explained

Starmer must “honour his pledge” to cap prices in “extortionate and pernicious” secondary ticketing market

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Secondary Ticketing • 3 min read

Starmer must “honour his pledge” to cap prices in “extortionate and pernicious” secondary ticketing market

Artists and music industry organisations have told Keir Starmer that he needs to urgently “honour his pledge” to better regulate ticket touting and confirm a timeline for introducing a ticket resale price cap. Starmer committed to new ticketing regulations before last year’s General Election…

Chris Cooke • 13 Nov 2025

Culture minister tells industrial-level ticket touts: “your time is up”

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Secondary Ticketing • 2 min read

Culture minister tells industrial-level ticket touts: “your time is up”

The UK government has confirmed it still plans to introduce a price cap on ticket touting, while also stating that ticket resale platforms like Viagogo will be obliged to ensure resellers are following the rules. All of this is revealed in a new Daily Record article by culture minister Ian Murray…

Chris Cooke • 08 Oct 2025

Speculative listings for Radiohead tickets show dodgy touting still rampant across Europe “despite EU’s good intentions”

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Secondary Ticketing • 2 min read

Speculative listings for Radiohead tickets show dodgy touting still rampant across Europe “despite EU’s good intentions”

The EU needs to do more to combat dodgy ticket touting practices across Europe, according to campaign group FEAT. It identified 1751 touted tickets for Radiohead concerts on just one resale site, Ticombo, before tickets had even gone on general sale and despite the band’s anti-touting measures…

Chris Cooke • 16 Sep 2025

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

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Secondary Ticketing • 2 min read

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

The FTC has sued a ticket touting company that uses dubious tactics to access tickets, including using 49 Ticketmaster accounts to buy 273 tickets for one Taylor Swift show that had a six-tickets-per-person limit. However, the accused business says its tactics are authorised by Ticketmaster…

Chris Cooke • 19 Aug 2025

As FTC begins crack down on ticket scalping, scalpers say Ticketmaster endorses their practices

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Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

As FTC begins crack down on ticket scalping, scalpers say Ticketmaster endorses their practices

The FTC in the US has started to crackdown on ticket scalpers that it reckons have violated the BOTS Act, which prohibits certain practices for sourcing tickets for resale. But one targeted scalping company says its ticket sourcing practices are not only lawful but also authorised by Ticketmaster…

Chris Cooke • 29 Jul 2025

Live Nation sucks up to Trump after US president targets ticket scalpers

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Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

Live Nation sucks up to Trump after US president targets ticket scalpers

Donald Trump has issued an executive order instructing the FTC to ramp up its efforts regulating ticket scalpers in the US, including by better enforcing the BOTS Act. Although scalper-centric, the order could also impact on the wider ticketing business, and especially Live Nation and Ticketmaster…

Chris Cooke • 01 Apr 2025

UK regulator backs plan for ticket tout price cap

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Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

UK regulator backs plan for ticket tout price cap

The UK government’s consultation on its proposal to introduce a price cap on tickets resold by touts is ongoing. The Competition & Markets Authority, which has a role in regulating the secondary ticketing market, has made its submission coming out in support of the price cap proposal…

Chris Cooke • 25 Mar 2025

Government opens consultation on “potentially game-changing” new rules for ticket touting

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Secondary Ticketing • 3 min read

Government opens consultation on “potentially game-changing” new rules for ticket touting

The UK government has launched its previously promised consultation on the ticketing business. It will consider new regulations for ticket touting, including a price cap on tickets resold on platforms like Viagogo. The impact of dynamic pricing on primary ticketing sites will also be reviewed…

Chris Cooke • 10 Jan 2025

US touting bot ban isn’t enforced and has only been used once since 2021, says Senator Richard Blumenthal

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Live industry news including ticketing, venues, festivals and more • 3 min read

US touting bot ban isn’t enforced and has only been used once since 2021, says Senator Richard Blumenthal

US Senator Richard Blumenthal has called on the country’s Federal Trade Commission to do more to crack down on the dodgy tactics employed by ticket scalpers. The 2016 BOTS Act empowers the FTC to go after touts using bots, but Blumenthal says it has only enforced that law once in eight years…

Chris Cooke • 09 Dec 2024

Culture minister tells ticket touting platforms to “get ready for change”

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Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

Culture minister tells ticket touting platforms to “get ready for change”

MPs took part in a debate on secondary ticketing yesterday, with culture minister Chris Bryant insisting the new government will make good on its pledge to introduce a ticket touting price cap, and will do so in a way that ensures this new regulation - unlike past regulations - is properly enforced…

Chris Cooke • 25 Oct 2024

Campaigners respond to “astounding” report on the “sinister” lobbying plans of ticket touts

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Secondary Ticketing • 3 min read

Campaigners respond to “astounding” report on the “sinister” lobbying plans of ticket touts

A group of ticket touts recently met in London to plot a campaign against the Labour Party’s plan to put a 10% price cap on the resale of tickets, with the support of a US lobbying group. Anti-touting campaigners in the UK say those efforts could backfire and aid their bid to get the cap into law…

Chris Cooke • 29 May 2024

Minnesota passes new laws regulating secondary ticketing

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Secondary Ticketing • 2 min read

Minnesota passes new laws regulating secondary ticketing

While there has been lots of talk about new ticketing regulations in US Congress, more progress is being made at a state level. Minnesota has passed new laws regulating secondary ticketing this week, with Maryland also set to introduce new resale rules…

Chris Cooke • 09 May 2024