British Music Stars Urge PM to Tackle Perilous Ticket Tout Websites
In a joint letter, 38 world-renowned artists have called upon Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the growing issue of "pernicious" ticket tout websites that exploit music fans. The group, which includes Radiohead, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay, has collectively sold over half a billion albums and is now using its collective voice to highlight the need for urgent action.
The artists expressed their frustration with "secondary ticketing" platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, where tickets are often resold at exorbitant prices, leaving genuine fans unable to access the music, theatre, or sports they love. The group has vowed to tackle this problem head-on, advocating for a hard cap on resale prices to prevent touts from profiting from the desperation of fans.
The issue is not new, but recent undercover footage reveals that some of the UK's biggest touts have been secretly lobbying against proposed legislation aimed at curbing their activities. Meanwhile, consumer groups like Which? have exposed exorbitant prices charged by touts on platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, with tickets for popular events listed for thousands of pounds.
For example, Oasis tickets for Wembley Stadium shows were listed for £3,498.85 on StubHub, while a Coldplay ticket was priced at £814.52. The most egregious case was a Raye concert ticket sold for £114,666 on Viagogo – a price that is simply unsustainable for genuine fans.
The artists are not alone in their concerns. Consumer groups and organisations like UK Music, FanFair Alliance, and the Football Supporters' Association have also spoken out against the exploitation of music fans by touts.
Viagogo and StubHub have both claimed to be fully compliant with UK regulations, but critics argue that these companies are merely profiteering from the desperation of fans. The government has promised to unveil its plans shortly, but many are calling for urgent action to protect the rights of genuine fans.
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: something needs to change to prevent music fans from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous touts. With the support of 38 world-renowned artists, it's time for the government to take notice and act decisively to protect the rights of music lovers everywhere.
In a joint letter, 38 world-renowned artists have called upon Prime Minister Keir Starmer to address the growing issue of "pernicious" ticket tout websites that exploit music fans. The group, which includes Radiohead, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay, has collectively sold over half a billion albums and is now using its collective voice to highlight the need for urgent action.
The artists expressed their frustration with "secondary ticketing" platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, where tickets are often resold at exorbitant prices, leaving genuine fans unable to access the music, theatre, or sports they love. The group has vowed to tackle this problem head-on, advocating for a hard cap on resale prices to prevent touts from profiting from the desperation of fans.
The issue is not new, but recent undercover footage reveals that some of the UK's biggest touts have been secretly lobbying against proposed legislation aimed at curbing their activities. Meanwhile, consumer groups like Which? have exposed exorbitant prices charged by touts on platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub, with tickets for popular events listed for thousands of pounds.
For example, Oasis tickets for Wembley Stadium shows were listed for £3,498.85 on StubHub, while a Coldplay ticket was priced at £814.52. The most egregious case was a Raye concert ticket sold for £114,666 on Viagogo – a price that is simply unsustainable for genuine fans.
The artists are not alone in their concerns. Consumer groups and organisations like UK Music, FanFair Alliance, and the Football Supporters' Association have also spoken out against the exploitation of music fans by touts.
Viagogo and StubHub have both claimed to be fully compliant with UK regulations, but critics argue that these companies are merely profiteering from the desperation of fans. The government has promised to unveil its plans shortly, but many are calling for urgent action to protect the rights of genuine fans.
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: something needs to change to prevent music fans from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous touts. With the support of 38 world-renowned artists, it's time for the government to take notice and act decisively to protect the rights of music lovers everywhere.
! It's mental that some touts are making that much cash off fans who just want to enjoy a concert 
. I think the artists have every right to be mad and is totally reasonable of them to ask the PM to step in and sort this out ASAP 
. We need to protect our rights as consumers, especially when it comes to events we're actually excited about 
. Maybe if there's a hard cap on resale prices, touts won't get so greedy... fingers crossed that something changes soon 
and yeah the gov needs to step in ASAP to put a stop to this nonsense 
Tickets are meant for people who actually wanna see the show not just some profiteering touts who dont care about fans. Need a hard cap on resale prices ASAP 
but on the other hand, fans are paying up to 10x face value for same tickets 
and btw have u seen those prices for Oasis & Coldplay tix? 
£3,498.85 and £814.52 lol that's insane! 
fanfair alliance says that 70% of secondary ticketing sales are done without any sort of legit proof of purchase 
stats say that 62% of fans trust secondary ticketing sites to get genuine tickets 
meanwhile, only 21% actually get a legitimate ticket 
. It's time for the government to take action and protect music fans' rights. We can't keep letting these touts take advantage of people who just want to enjoy live music or sports events without breaking the bank 
oasis wembley stadium tickets were listed for like 3k+£ it's no wonder genuine fans can't even get tickets anymore 
. And what really gets my goat is that some of these touts are even secretly lobbying against legislation to stop them 
. It's time for the government to step in and put a hard cap on resale prices or something. The artists are right, this is a major issue that needs urgent attention 
.
I'm not surprised that these artists are speaking out about ticket tout websites, but what's surprising is that they're not addressing the root cause of the problem - our society's obsession with profit over people. 
I'm calling on our government to take a holistic approach to this issue, one that balances fan rights with the interests of businesses. We can't just throw money at the problem without addressing the underlying issues. 
and its all from exploiting fans who just wanna see their fave artists live 
for example, if ur favorite artist is selling tickets for £100, the tout is making £150 
what about the gov? u would think they'd step in but they're just waiting 4 the artists 2 make a big enough fuss 
and theres no one stopping them. its like they're making a profit off people's desperation what even is that? 
and what's up with viagogo & stubhub charging those insane prices? £114k for a raye concert ticket?! are they trying 2 drive fans crazy or wot? 