Music fans risk being 'fleeced' out of £24 million by ticket touts for summer concerts this year, consumer group Which? claims. It warned tickets for in-demand gigs by Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, BTS and others are being advertised at hugely inflated prices on resale websites StubHub and Viagogo.
In November last year, the government announced plans to ban the reselling of tickets for live events for profit. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy suggested legislation would be included in next month’s King’s Speech. However, Which? says concerns have grown that the issue may have slipped down the government’s priority list after Arts Minister Ian Murray told a meeting in Westminster that it may not feature in its programme of legislation set out by the Monarch.
Which? released research comparing the face value of tickets with inflated listings by third-party sellers on resale sites. According to the analysis, Harry Styles fans will be hit especially hard as resellers could make £6.6 million from his live shows. A single Harry Styles ticket with a face value of £200 was listed on StubHub for £3,622. A BTS ticket worth £450 was listed for £4,872, and an Ariana Grande ticket worth £135 was listed for £2,832.
A coalition of fan and music industry groups has written an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to protect fans. Signatories include management for Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Fontaines DC, Keane, Nick Cave and Radiohead. The letter states: 'The predatory tactics used by touts, often operating overseas, are distorting the live events sector and causing significant harm to UK fans who are consistently excluded from attending shows due to exorbitant prices.'
Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: 'Our research shows professional ticket touts are preparing to make millions this summer by exploiting true music fans - a reminder of why new laws for a price cap on ticket resales are so urgently needed.' StubHub and Viagogo defended their practices, arguing that listing prices do not reflect actual sales and that price caps could push fans towards unsafe alternatives.
