Secondary ticketing agency Viagogo were yesterday delighting in comments made by artist manager Marc Marot, who said he saw them as the "good guys" in the resale market.
As previously reported, Marot will head up the Resale Rights Society, the new body being set up my the Music Manager's Forum that hopes to provide self-regulation to the secondary ticketing sector by persuading websites that allow people to resell gig tickets for profit to give a portion of their own profits to the live sector, and to agree to various measures to protect consumers, in return for recognition as legitimate concerns.
Being interviewed alongside Viagogo chief Eric Baker on Radio 4's Today programme, Marot said: "We like Viagogo, we think that Viagogo is one of the good guys, the trouble is there are some 244 other sites out there, including some huge ones, including eBay that have no regulation whatsoever".
Baker added: "I'm delighted that we have the support of the MMF and therefore the 600 artists it represents. Fans are increasingly realising that the safest way to buy or sell tickets is through Viagogo where we guarantee that they will get a genuine ticket, in time for the event".
Those comments presumably mean Viagogo will be signing up to the RRS. As reported yesterday, not all their rivals are so keen about the MMF's proposals, with the boss of one, Seatwave, saying: "This is a direct attempt by a few music managers and promoters to line their pockets at the expense of consumers. Everyone in this value chain has already been fully paid for their work - this proposed tax is like BMW asking car owners for a cut every time someone resells a car. It's laughable that rock managers and promoters are holding themselves out as consumer champions".