New government rules will make it illegal to resell tickets for live events for profit, aiming to end the 'industrial-scale' touting that has caused misery for millions of fans.
Ministers have confirmed plans to outlaw the sale of tickets for concerts, theatre, comedy, sport, and other live events at a price above their 'face value' – defined as the initial cost plus unavoidable fees, including service charges.
The Labour manifesto had previously pledged stronger protections against touts, who often use bots to acquire tickets in bulk, selling them on for huge mark-ups on secondary platforms.
To prevent circumvention, service fees will be capped, and platforms will have a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance.
Furthermore, individuals will be prohibited from reselling more tickets than they were initially entitled to purchase.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices. They’ve become a shadow industry on resale sites, acting without consequence.
“This government is putting fans first. Our new proposals will shut down the touts’ racket and make world-class music, comedy, theatre and sport affordable for everyone.”
Bastille lead singer Dan Smith said: “It’s such great news that the government has stepped up and introduced a price cap on resale tickets – something I’ve been campaigning for alongside O2 and the FanFair Alliance for a long time.
“It’s a good step towards protecting music fans from being ripped off and will allow more genuine fans to see their favourite artists perform at face value prices. I am welcoming a world where there are no more resellers snapping up all of the tickets and massively inflating their prices.”
The new rules will apply to any platform reselling tickets to UK fans, including secondary ticketing platforms and social media websites.
Businesses who break the regulations could be fined up to 10 per cent of their global turnover by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), under new powers introduced in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act.
A Viagogo spokeswoman said: “We acknowledge the government’s announcement today which is part of a long, multi-year process, not a final outcome.
“Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans, in countries like Ireland and Australia fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK as price caps push consumers towards unregulated sites.
“The solution is open distribution, connecting primary and resale platforms to verify tickets. This allows the sharing of critical information to identify illegal bot activity and eliminate fraud.
“Opening the market to greater competition also helps drive prices down, benefiting fans.”
According to the CMA, typical mark-ups on secondary market tickets exceed 50 per cent, while investigations by trading standards have uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.
Government analysis suggests these measures could save fans around £112 million annually, with 900,000 more tickets bought directly from primary sellers each year. Inclusive of all fees paid, the average ticket price paid by fans on the resale market could be reduced by £37.
The move follows a campaign by some of the biggest names in music to cut costs for fans.
Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Radiohead were last week among artists urging the government to honour the pledge to cap resale prices.
The Cure’s Robert Smith, New Order, Mark Knopfler, Iron Maiden, PJ Harvey and Mercury Prize-winner Sam Fender joined them in signing a statement calling for a cap to “restore faith in the ticketing system” and “help democratise public access to the arts”.
Other signatories included the watchdog Which?, FanFair Alliance, O2, the Football Supporters’ Association and organisations representing the music and theatre industries, venues, managers and ticket retailers.
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