Some of the biggest names in music have come together with groups representing consumers and the industry to call on Sir Keir Starmer to honour his pledge to protect fans from online ticket touts. For years, genuine fans have been fleeced or priced out of events by touts using bots to buy tickets in bulk the moment they go on sale, which they can then sell on for huge mark-ups on secondary ticketing websites like Viagogo and Stubhub. The Labour manifesto promised stronger consumer protections and the government has since pledged to cap resale prices to shut out the online touts - but more than a year after it first promised action, and seven months since its consultation on the issue closed, there has been no clear indication of when new laws will be introduced. Now, dozens of artists who have had enough of seeing their fans exploited are leading calls for the PM to commit to price cap legislation in the next King’s Speech. The list includes some of the world’s best known acts, including recent Glastonbury headliners Coldplay, Dua Lipa and The Cure’s Robert Smith. Rock, metal and alternative legends Radiohead, New Order, Mark Knopfler, Iron Maiden and PJ Harvey and this year’s Mercury Prize winner Sam Fender also feature.

They have signed a joint statement, along with Which?, FanFair Alliance, O2, the Football Supporters’ Association and organisations representing the music and theatre industries, venues, managers and ticket retailers. In the statement, the coalition says new protections are needed to “help fix elements of the extortionate and pernicious secondary ticketing market that serve the interests of touts, whose exploitative practices are preventing genuine fans from accessing the music, theatre and sports they love.”

It adds: “For too long certain resale platforms have allowed touts to bulk buy and then resell tickets at inflated prices, forcing fans to either pay above the odds or miss out entirely. This erodes trust in the live events sector and undermines the efforts of artists and organisers to make shows accessible and affordable. “Introducing a cap will restore faith in the ticketing system, help democratise public access to the arts in line with the Government’s agenda and make it easier for fans to spot illegal behaviour, such as ticketing fraud.” The statement comes as a new investigation from Which? lifts the lid on global touting operations targeting the weak links in the UK’s broken ticketing industry.

The consumer champion found prolific sellers in locations including Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, Spain and the US, hoovering up tickets for popular events in the UK, before relisting them at vastly inflated prices on Stubhub and Viagogo. Oasis tickets for Wembley Stadium shows were listed for £3,498.85 on Stubhub and £4,442 on Viagogo. A seat for the Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns NFL clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was listed for £3,568.39 on Stubhub, while a Coldplay ticket, also for Wembley Stadium, was £814.52 on Stubhub. The most extreme example Which? found was a ticket for the All Points East festival in London’s Victoria Park, headlined by Raye, listed for £114,666 on Viagogo. It was often difficult for buyers to establish the seller’s identity or to contact them. That is despite the CMA securing a court order in 2018 requiring Viagogo to outline the identity of traders.

Which? also found evidence of speculative selling - when tickets are listed on secondary sites even though the seller has not bought them yet. Tickets for a Busted vs McFly show in Glasgow, which were available via Ticketmaster - the original seller - were simultaneously being listed on Stubhub and Viagogo at double the price.

Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert, said:

“Today’s joint statement makes clear that artists, fan organisations and consumers reject the broken ticketing market that has allowed touts to thrive for too long. 

“The Prime Minister pledged to protect fans and a price cap on resold tickets will be a critical step towards fixing this industry, but he must commit to this legislation by including it in the next King’s Speech. 

“Further reforms are also needed to ensure sellers actually own the tickets they advertise before listing them, that resale platforms ensure the identities of sellers and key information about a ticket are verified and that the new rules are effectively enforced.”

Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance, said:

“FanFair Alliance has campaigned against the exploitative activities of online ticket touts since 2016. Operating via under-regulated offshore resale platforms, their parasitical and frequently unlawful practices cost UK ticket buyers hundreds of millions of pounds each year. 

“The only pragmatic way to address this problem is through a cap on ticket resale prices - a measure that has been adopted successfully in a number of other countries, including Ireland and Australia.” 

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum, said:

“A clampdown on online ticket touting should be celebrated by anyone who enjoys live music. It was our members who started the FanFair Alliance campaign in order to protect fans from exploitation, and I am not surprised to see so many well-known artists come out in support of a price cap. 

“It is imperative this legislation is part of the next King’s Speech. The UK is rightly renowned for our live music culture, and our audiences deserve the best-in-class when it comes to ticketing.”

UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl said:  

 “UK Music fully supports a ticket resale price cap to support all those music lovers who have felt forced to pay exorbitant prices on the secondary market.

 “We are calling on the Government to swiftly deliver on its pre-election promise to bring in a price cap. It’s high time we delivered for the fans who are the lifeblood of our industry and drove ticket touts out of business once and for all.”