Responses to the government consultation on ticket touting

"These suggested measures are potentially game-changing. Other countries, notably Ireland, have demonstrated how legislation to prevent the resale of tickets for profit can massively curb the illegal and anti-consumer practices of online ticket touts and offshore resale platforms. The UK simply needs to follow their example."

“UK Music welcomes this move to support music fans and a music industry which generates £7.6 billion a year for the economy and supports 216,000 jobs. 

“Music lovers have been exploited for too long by a secondary ticketing market which driven by greedy touts and automated bots charging rip-off prices and sucking money out of our sector.

“This announcement should pave the way for greater transparency over ticketing for live events and ensure music fans can see their favourite acts at an affordable price. 

“We want to see an end to speculative selling with a clear price cap that means tickets can only be resold under a fair and reasonable system of resale.

“There needs to be far tougher controls on the secondary market and the use of digital bots to protect genuine music fans and put them first to restore the integrity of ticket sales for live events. 

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Government to ensure every part of the UK music industry’s eco-system benefits from these changes so we can ensure our sector continues to grow and thrive.”

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, CMS Committee Chair
"The Government's proposals would go some way to help address the perverse incentives that are punishing music fans, paying too much whether to ticket companies or touts.
Fan voices must be amplified within Whitehall and the live music ecosystem. This consultation should be a precursor to the Government launching a comprehensive fan-led review of music, as called for by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
It needs to look closely at how the music industry is working and how to ensure music lovers' money gets to the small venues and fledgling artists and songwriters who feed this fundamental sector."