The announcement of tours by globally renowned artists like Taylor Swift, Oasis, or Radiohead invariably sparks immense excitement among fans and captures significant media attention.
However, the euphoria often dissipates swiftly as tickets go on sale, giving way to widespread disappointment and grievances over the immediate availability of tickets on resale platforms at exorbitant prices.
In a bid to address this issue, the government is set to unveil new regulations aimed at prohibiting the resale of live event tickets for profit, exceeding their original face value.
These measures, designed to eradicate large-scale ticket touting operations, are anticipated to represent the most substantial overhaul of ticket purchasing in the digital age.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated to BBC News, “We are ensuring that the era of ticket touts is coming to an end, and that fans are restored to their rightful place at the heart of the music industry.”
This announcement follows a plea from artists including Sam Fender, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, urging him to safeguard fans from exploitative practices.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of the proposed changes.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is expected to formally announce the following measures:
The implementation timeline for these regulations remains uncertain, pending parliamentary review and approval. The government intends to introduce primary legislation as parliamentary schedules permit.
The scope of the new rules will extend beyond concerts to encompass sports, theater, comedy, and various other forms of live entertainment.
Ticket touting has evolved into an increasingly sophisticated operation in recent years.
Touts employ automated bots to procure substantial quantities of tickets for high-demand events through online channels.
These tickets are subsequently relisted on secondary platforms at significantly inflated prices, a practice widely perceived as detrimental to fans and the live events industry.
The forthcoming legislation seeks to eradicate this practice, with the aim of enhancing both access and affordability for genuine fans.
The rules will apply to any platform facilitating the resale of tickets to UK fans, encompassing not only secondary ticketing websites but also social media platforms.
This implies that individuals offering tickets on platforms like X or Facebook Marketplace will be legally obligated to comply with the regulations.
Businesses found in violation of these regulations may face financial penalties of up to 10% of their global turnover, as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The potential savings for fans will naturally fluctuate depending on the specific event and ticket.
While some fans may save a modest sum, those purchasing tickets for highly sought-after events could potentially save hundreds or even thousands of pounds compared to prices on resale platforms.
Government analysis estimates that resale tickets will be approximately £37 cheaper on average (including fees), resulting in collective savings of around £112 million per year for fans.
The analysis suggests that approximately 900,000 more tickets will be purchased directly from primary sellers each year as a result of these measures.
According to the CMA, typical mark-ups on secondary market tickets exceed 50%, while Trading Standards investigations have revealed instances of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.
Some industry stakeholders have cautioned that these regulations may inadvertently drive ticket reselling into less regulated online spaces.
Most regulated secondary platforms offer guarantees of ticket authenticity, ensuring that fans receive refunds if purchased tickets are found to be fraudulent.
These entities argue that restricting their operations could expose fans to a greater risk of fraudulent transactions and potential financial losses.
Nandy affirmed that the government has “scrutinized this issue closely” and is “confident that we have addressed it effectively, particularly as these new rules will extend to social media platforms.”
“Consequently, if a ticket tout is selling tickets at significantly inflated prices on a social media platform, the platform will be obligated to take measures to prevent such activity.”
“Failure to comply will empower the Competition and Markets Authority to intervene and impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s annual turnover, regardless of its global headquarters location.”
A potential consequence could be the resurgence of traditional, physical ticket touting outside venues on concert nights, involving cash transactions for tickets.
A spokesperson for Viagogo, a prominent secondary ticket marketplace, asserted, “Evidence indicates that price caps have consistently failed fans. In countries like Ireland and Australia, fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK, as price caps divert consumers to unregulated websites.”
Viagogo contends that the optimal solution lies in “open distribution,” linking primary platforms like Ticketmaster with resale platforms like Viagogo to authenticate tickets.
“This approach facilitates the sharing of critical information to detect illegal bot activity and prevent fraud,” Viagogo stated. “Enhancing competition within the market also contributes to lower prices, benefiting fans.”
BBC News has also sought a response to the proposals from Stubhub.
Twickets, a resale platform endorsed by musicians such as Ed Sheeran, already restricts ticket sales to face value or less.
Richard Davies, founder of Twickets, characterized the proposals as a “landmark moment for consumer protection in live entertainment,” and affirmed the company’s “full support for the government’s plans.”
“For too long, fans have been exploited by industrial-scale touting, which inflates prices, undermines trust, and prevents genuine supporters from attending the events they cherish,” he added.
The campaign group FairTicketing cautioned that the plans could have “unintended consequences,” suggesting that capping resale ticket prices might lead to increased dynamic pricing, “enabling primary sellers to raise prices as demand surges.”
“Rather than curbing exploitation, this has simply shifted the burden onto fans at the initial point of sale,” stated chairman Stephen Lee.
“While we commend efforts to combat bad actors and bot-driven exploitation, we firmly believe that imposing a price cap would do more harm than good, exacerbating the very problems it aims to solve and undermining the benefits that a regulated secondary market provides to fans.”
Another contentious issue for live music enthusiasts in recent years has been the implementation of dynamic pricing, where ticket prices fluctuate based on demand.
This came under scrutiny during Oasis’s reunion tour last year, when numerous fans encountered significantly higher ticket prices than anticipated.
In September, the CMA stated that it found no evidence of real-time price adjustments for Oasis tickets due to high demand; however, the ensuing backlash prompted the authority to secure a commitment from Ticketmaster to enhance pricing transparency.
This includes providing fans with 24 hours’ notice of tiered pricing, offering clearer price information during online queues, and eliminating misleading ticket labeling.
As it stands, dynamic pricing will remain permissible, but companies will be required to provide greater transparency to fans.
Last week, the Royal Ballet and Opera announced its intention to introduce demand-led ticket pricing to “maximize” revenue.
Under the proposed regulations, consumers will retain the right to resell their tickets if circumstances prevent them from attending an event.
However, individuals will only be legally authorized to resell tickets at or below their original cost, inclusive of any applicable service fees.
The resale platform may then impose its own service charge, “but we are unequivocally committed to preventing any backdoor price increases,” Nandy emphasized.
“[Reasonable service fees that cover the costs of platforms to be able to ensure that fans can resell a ticket at the original cost [are allowed]. If fans can’t go to a gig for whatever reason, it’s fine.
“What is not fine is vastly inflating prices so that fans price out of the market.”
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