Dispatches- The Great Ticket Scandal, C4 Thursday 9pm

[The Mean Bean]

I'm going to email my MP with that Sharon Hodgson bill, politicians may, be by and large, shit-for-brains, self-interested, lying, elitist arseholes, but they can sometimes be of good use (just not very often).

I did sympathise with those fans who had to pay massive prices for the tickets that they'd camped out for and such, I've often had to take the morning off work to get tickets for big events. I had to take the whole day off for Stone Roses and ended up not getting tickets, luckily a friend managed to get a bunch off TicketMaster and sold them on at face value to me and a few other mates who missed out, but it pisses me off that people have to go out of their way like that and scumbags from big companies end up causing them to get no tickets or having to pay out the arse. Of course, another part of me looked at those people and thought that if you'll pay any money to watch Take That or Coldplay, you've already been ripped off.

[Vacant0]

Tweet it, Stick it on your Facebook page, artists pages, Perpetrators pages etc, get people to re-share in th hope of getting some legislation put in place. Hell, sign an E Petition while you're at it too and get all your friend to join you. This one already has some steam, but needs another 9,500 signatures.https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/8419

[edfirth]

I'm going to email my MP with that Sharon Hodgson bill, politicians may, be by and large, shit-for-brains, self-interested, lying, elitist arseholes, but they can sometimes be of good use (just not very often).

I did sympathise with those fans who had to pay massive prices for the tickets that they'd camped out for and such, I've often had to take the morning off work to get tickets for big events. I had to take the whole day off for Stone Roses and ended up not getting tickets, luckily a friend managed to get a bunch off TicketMaster and sold them on at face value to me and a few other mates who missed out, but it pisses me off that people have to go out of their way like that and scumbags from big companies end up causing them to get no tickets or having to pay out the arse. Of course, another part of me looked at those people and thought that if you'll pay any money to watch Take That or Coldplay, you've already been ripped off.

[The Mean Bean]

You say that, but despite not being a fan of either both have big reputations as live acts. I caught Coldplay at a festival and they were surprisingly good and I know Take That had a ridiculous live set. At least they put some effort in to their lives shows, and at least the people that are going to see them/are buying their records are putting money in to the industry

[edfirth]

It was a joke, it's hard to convey dry irony on the internet. Obviously ripping off any music fan is a disgrace.

[bennyk]

Efests just tweeted:

''eFestivals ‏ @eFestivals

read T in the Park festival boss Geoff Ellis' take on the #ticketscandalon eFestivals tomorrow''

Should be quite interesting

[beards]

They'd never do it, but the only way forward is to bring in registration like Glastonbury. I hope a lot of people saw that Dispatches investigation and decide to boycott viagogo. Scummy bastards!

[Chapcharlie]

I'm going to email my MP with that Sharon Hodgson bill, politicians may, be by and large, shit-for-brains, self-interested, lying, elitist arseholes, but they can sometimes be of good use (just not very often).

Of course, another part of me looked at those people and thought that if you'll pay any money to watch Take That or Coldplay, you've already been ripped off.

[Jacky Boy]

Can't believe I missed this! I'll have to watch it once it's up on 4OD.

[Justiceforcedave]

[Wilcosican]

Has anyone used that Scarlet mist site? considering using it looks alright I'd just rather see some good feedback before hand

[let's 'ave it!!!]

Well it seems the 'Viagogo' logo is gone from the bottom of the Reading website

http://www.readingfestival.com/

but when you look at the 2011 site it's there

http://www.readingfestival.com/2011

Reckon it's been taken down since the documentry? I haven't seen it cos i was working, some one wanna fill me in!!

[Chapcharlie]

Well it seems the 'Viagogo' logo is gone from the bottom of the Reading website

http://www.readingfestival.com/

but when you look at the 2011 site it's there

http://www.readingfestival.com/2011

Reckon it's been taken down since the documentry? I haven't seen it cos i was working, some one wanna fill me in!!

[Vacant0]

Has anyone used that Scarlet mist site? considering using it looks alright I'd just rather see some good feedback before hand

Edited February 24, 2012 by Vacant0

[Chapcharlie]

Ok, so LiveNation and Ticketmaster are merged, Ticketmaster owns getmein, LiveNation allocated to Viagogo, supposedly their competitors?

Ticketmaster redirect to Get me in, so they obtain tickets in much the same way as Viagogo .

Ticketmaster and LiveNation are very much pro scalping in the USA, but seem to talk about it less in the UK, where it is morally less acceptable.

So the industry as a whole accepts that it occurs, but wont admit to the public due to the uproar it causes in the UK culture.

Pearl Jam's dispute and boycott in the USA of Ticketmaster over pricing issues, ultimately led to nothing, since TM won in court, proving that (at least in the USA) pressure by the bands has little effect.

Hmmm, sounds like we're screwed all ways unless Parliament amend the rules!

People need to make their views heard, it's the only way to change it all.

[micawber]

That eptetition is worthy, but perhaps not worded very well.

Neil, would you consider contacting the Consumer Association and producing a more articulate and concise recommendation that could secure wider coordinated support?

[eFestivals]

That eptetition is worthy, but perhaps not worded very well.

Neil, would you consider contacting the Consumer Association and producing a more articulate and concise recommendation that could secure wider coordinated support?

Rather than start something new ourselves I think it's better to support the actions already happening.

http://www.sharonhodgson.org/ticket-touting-private-members-bill

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/8419

And we also suggest that everyone tweet coldplay, because I reckon that Chris Martin is the guy who can really bring about the publicity and momentum to make something happen. Ask coldplay what they're going to do about their promoters ripping off their fans.

[JBarbour]

Has any of the promoters, venues or ticket touts released any statements or planning to about this yet?

Have reading/leeds sites taken down the viatout logos or did they not put them on the site in the first place?

[evilduck]

Has anyone used that Scarlet mist site? considering using it looks alright I'd just rather see some good feedback before hand

[eFestivals]

Has any of the promoters, venues or ticket touts released any statements or planning to about this yet?

Have reading/leeds sites taken down the viatout logos or did they not put them on the site in the first place?

Seatwave & Viagogo have issued statements along the lines of "the programme was all lies". Which is of course their own lies.

The Concert Promoters Association have basically defended their members acting as touts - even tho that touting (done in the manner it has been done) is without doubt against the CPA's own code of conduct.

Coldplay are being spectacularly quiet, despite them having been fingered as one of the victims of touting by their own promoter, which is starting to suggest to me that the touting was done with their knowledge. But the way to find out is to ask them - efestivals has tweeted them (@coldplay) today, asking:-

@coldplay are you profiting from the #ticketscandal or is your promoter taking the piss out of you and your now-angry fans?

I recommend that everyone tweet something similar to Coldplay to get them to make a statement. If Chris Martin isn't outraged by what has happened then the music biz is corrupt from top to bottom and there's no hope for western society.

[jump]

^In fairness I think Coldplay was the main act featured on the show as that was the big tour at the time they had people going undercover there, if was a few months ago it could just as likely be Stones Roses or a year ago be Foos. Not that I'm defending them tho.

[mrtourette]

^In fairness I think Coldplay was the main act featured on the show as that was the big tour at the time they had people going undercover there, if was a few months ago it could just as likely be Stones Roses or a year ago be Foos. Not that I'm defending them tho.

[jump]

I've used it for a few years now and never had a single problem, both selling and buying. They have had some trouble with people selling fake tickets on there so you need to use your common sense a bit, but I usually meet up with the person face to face to exchange tickets for cash and it's always been genuine.

[zahidf]

Only been a day for Coldplay: do they even check their twitter that regularly?

Maybe ask melvin benn next time you interview him Neil: i asked him during a Q and A on the latitude forums about latitude tickets goign straight on these sort of sites, and the asnwer was basically 'safe way to purchase tickets blah blah'.

[mrtourette]

I think that legsilation is the only was to solve this.

You can have true fan-to-fan exchanges where this is little regulation and basically just a place for fans to advertise and arrange sales, but then people who get scammed can't expect promoters and organisers to take any responsibility.

If there needs to be regulation and protection from people selling tickets they don't have then the 'fan-to-fan' service has to brought in-house and therefore becomes part of the system and industry, and unfortunately part of that is the desire to make money on a large scale.

Lesligation to ensure that tickets can only be re-sold with a small mark-up is needed to convince promotors/organisers that an official, regulated system is worthwhile (as there's still some profit in it, they won't do it for nothing) but that it can't be abused.

I think some this comes from the general public wanting to have their cake and eat it; yes people want to sell tickets for genuine reasons but individuals are guilty of greed as well as companies and there are people out there who want to sell tickets they never had the intention of using or who want to use the system to get tickets on the cheap, but as soon as it goes wrong they demand protection. That doesn't excuse the disgraceful behaviour shown in the documentary, but for as many people that are appalled by it there are just as many people who would do exactly the same thing.

Of course they could all do what Glastonbury does but very few a prepared to go that extra ethical mile, especially when you consider that it isn't just festival that are affected but concerts, sporting events and exhibitions.