Iron Maiden and Radiohead have joined Foo Fighters in taking action against ticket touts.
Maiden and Radiohead are among more than 80 signatories to an open letter calling on the UK Government to crack down on secondary sales of concert and event tickets.
Published in the Independent On Sunday, the letter is also signed by Bullet For My Valentine, Arctic Monkeys and various sports organisation including the Lawn Tennis Association and the Rugby Football Union.
Last November, Dave Grohl’s Foos asked fans in the US to queue up for gig tickets rather than buy online in an attempt to defeat touts.
The open letter says “unscrupulous” practices in the secondary ticketing industry are ripping off fans and damaging artists. It calls on the Government to protect fans rather than aid ticket sites such as Viagogo, StubHub, Get Me In and Seatwave.
The letter reads: “As representatives from the live event industry, responsible for putting on shows ranging from international sporting fixtures and world class theatre to intimate gigs, we are committed to ensuring that event-goers have the best experience possible at a fair price.
“The way that the secondary ticketing market is allowed to operate at present can seriously undermine that effort. It’s high time the government stopped sticking up for secondary platforms, and decided to put fans first.”
Some of the proposals contained in the letter are a requirement that sites publish the name of ticket sellers, the ticket’s face value, the seat number, and whether the resale contravenes the terms and conditions agreed to by the original buyer.
Large number of tickets are bought with the intention of being resold immediately for a much higher price than the face value. It’s this practice that the signatories hope to clamp down on.
Government ministers will vote on the issue today when they discuss a clause in the Consumer Rights Bill at Westminster.
