Online Ticket Touting: music business figures welcome Professor Michael Waterson's recommendations and call on Government to act

26 May 2016 - Press release

"Professor Waterson exposes a dysfunctional and under-regulated ticketing market. His review calls on Government to enforce the law, and for secondary ticketing sites to apply the law and show responsibility. Fans must have clarity and fairness”

Live music is one of the UK’s cultural ‘Crown Jewels’. According to Government data, last year 1 in 3 British adults attended a gig, festival or live performance. Fans are the lifeblood of our business.

As revealed by today’s long awaited report from Professor Michael Waterson, UK audiences are confused by the ticket-buying process. In the worst instances, they are being ripped off and sold short by industrial-scale online ticket touting. More than 40,000 fans have already signed a petition demanding that Parliament enforce the Consumer Rights Act amendment brought in last year, providing tougher sanctions for resale websites that break the law. They also demand that ticket resellers are forced to reveal their identities.

Professor Waterson has clearly recognised these long-term failings, and makes 9 pragmatic recommendations that, if implemented, will help reform the market. We believe that fans should be given every opportunity to buy and exchange tickets at the price they were intended - not see them used as collateral to boost the profits of scalpers.

The music business has a significant role to play in driving change, and we are committed to work with partners to promote pro-consumer practices and technologies.

However, we also reiterate Professor Waterson’s call for Government to act and for secondary ticketing services to follow the law. Above all, we need a Consumer Rights Act that is fit for purpose, and to have the law on ticket resales enforced by Trading Standards.

UK audiences deserve clarity and fairness, not a dysfunctional and under-regulated secondary ticketing market that causes untold harm to our world-beating creative and cultural sector.

Adam Tudhope, Everybody’s Management (Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, Keane)
Alex Bruford, ATC Live
Angus Baskerville & Charlie Myatt, 13 Artists
Annabella Coldrick, Music Managers Forum
Brian Message, ATC Management (PJ Harvey, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
Bryan Ling, New Community Management (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Bad Suns, James Vincent McMorrow, Letts, Blake Mills, Lia Ices, Dan The Automator)
Caius Pawson, Young Turks (The xx, Jamie xx)
Chris Hufford, Bryce Edge, Courtyard (Radiohead, Gaz Coombes)
Craig Newman, ATC Management (Chris Cunningham, Faithless, Warpaint)
Danny Rogers, Lunatic Entertainment (Chvrches, Goyte, The Temper Trap)
Emma Banks & Mike Greek, Creative Artists Agency
Ian McAndrew, Wildlife Management (Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood, The Last Shadow Puppets, Travis)
Jamie Emsell, Mazin Tappuni, Communion Music Group
James Sandom, Red Light Management (Kaiser Chiefs, Bastille)
Jamie Oborne, All On The Red (The 1975)
Jeff Craft, X-ray Touring
Lucy Dickins, ITB
Mairead Nash & Hannah Giannoulis, Luv Management (Florence + The Machine, Spector, Woman’s Hour)
Marcus Russell & Alec McKinlay, Ignition Management (Noel Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen)
Neil Warnock & Geoff Meall, United Talent Agency
Paul Loasby, One Fifteen (David Gilmour, Jools Holland)
Paul Pacifico, Featured Artists Coalition
Paul Reed, Association of Independent Festivals
Phil Middleton & Ric Salmon, ATC Management
Richard Davies, Twickets
Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee & Will Bloomfield, Modest! (One Direction, Little Mix, Alison Moyet)
Rob Challice, Coda Agency Ltd
Rod Smallwood, Phantom Music Management (Iron Maiden)
Rowan Brand, Redgreenblue Co. (Bear’s Den)
Sam Eldridge, Roy Eldridge, Urok (Jess Glynne, Plan B, Tom Odell, Mystery Jets)
Sam Faulkner, First Access Entertainment (Jack Garratt)
Scott Rodger, Jay Barbour, Maverick UK (Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Andrea Bocelli, Shania Twain)
Stuart Camp (Ed Sheeran)
Sumit Bothra, ATC Management (Katie Melua, Staves, PJ Harvey)