Dispatches- The Great Ticket Scandal, C4 Thursday 9pm

[edfirth]

And with Viagogo you have to pay the fees on top as well!

[kev1664]

Yes, but if it wasn't for viagogo getting the extra tickets then touts could go on and pretty much charge whatever they like for the tickets.

Banning touting is the only way to stop this happening IMO.

[mrtourette]

As a friend of mine said over the weekend, "as long as there are people stupid enough to pay that amount of money for a ticket then there will always be people clever enough to exploit them".

[purplehaze81]

They can still do that on viagogo though. It's just an easier way for the touts to sell their tickets plus they can now escape the seller fee on eBay and they would only ever have to send it to one place now instead of multiple places.

[Dan R]

Yes they can. But why would you buy a ticket for a lot more from a tout when there are cheaper tickets available.

I would never buy a ticket from viagogo anyway and IMO people who do so are foolish. Even when gigs are supposedly sold out, if you check See often enough more tickets will nearly always become available.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Dan R

[kev1664]

Yes they can. But why would you buy a ticket for a lot more from a tout when there are cheaper tickets available.

I would never buy a ticket from viagogo anyway and IMO people who do so are foolish. Even when gigs are supposedly sold out, if you check See often enough more tickets will nearly always become available.

[edfirth]

Still no statement from FR. Getting annoying

[edfirth]

Viagogo already selling Leeds tickets

http://www.viagogo.co.uk/Concert-Tickets/Festivals/Leeds-Festival-Tickets/E-387175

[o.b.gene]

Viagogo already selling Leeds tickets

http://www.viagogo.c...ickets/E-387175

[Justiceforcedave]

I very much doubt there'll be one.

[jump]

Still no statement from FR. Getting annoying

[edfirth]

Not surprising tho, considering the amount of people who claimed to be outraged people haven't been plastering their facebook/twitter account demanding to know what happened since the day after the show. I think there was a bigger outcry to Arcade Fire headlining than this.

[Justiceforcedave]

Someone is posting on their facebook wall comments using a fake Viagogo account.

[Justiceforcedave]

^{...on the reading festival facebook wall}.

Viagogo UK

Hey Melvin, can we have some more tickets please like last year or has that whole dispatches scandal thing put you off? Much Love- Viagogo

[jump]

^{...on the reading festival facebook wall}.

Edited February 28, 2012 by jump

[edfirth]

Brilliant

[AcademicPistol]

Seat wave are just has bad imo but the bit that upsets me the most other than all them Coldplay fans talking is the poor innocent tickets that got binned.

[jump]

5 days later and I finally got a response back from my MP...

"Thank you for your email. I will write a full response to the issues you have raised as soon as possible."

[Justiceforcedave]

Mr Middleton,

Thank you for contacting Live Nation.

Live Nation will not be commenting directly on the content of the Dispatches programme and I can only refer you to the statement below from the Concert Promoters Association, of which we are a member.

Regards

Thomas Brook

Customer Service & Ticketing Manager UK - Music

2nd Floor, Regent Arcade House | 19-25 Argyll Street, London, UK | W1F 7TS

www.LiveNation.co.uk

www.DownloadFestival.co.uk

www.HardRockCalling.co.uk

www.WirelessFestival.co.uk

www.BTLondonLive.com

THE CONCERT PROMOTERS ASSOCIATION (CPA) STATEMENT REGARDING SECONDARY TICKETING INDUSTRY

The Concert Promoters Association (CPA) lobbied the previous UK

government for several years to bring in legislation to outlaw the resale of concert tickets on the secondary market to protect both the live music industry and the music fans that are the lifeblood of the industry. The CPA joined forces with other organisations who also wished to see secondary ticketing outlawed such as the RFU, Wimbledon and the Premier League. Eventually the government decided not to act and felt that a free market economy should be allowed to continue in concert, event and sport ticketing with the exception of Olympic tickets (as this was a condition of the Olympic bid) and football (where legislation already existed).

Due to public and industry pressure, the matter was subsequently referred to a Parliamentary Select Committee however after extended deliberation and the presentation of a robust case to protect both the industry and the public from the secondary market, their decision was that legislation should not be brought in.

The CPA warned the DCMS and the Select Committee that if they didn't legislate then the live music industry (promoters, managers, artists) would, at least in part, operate in the secondary market as a result in order to catch the lost revenue on behalf of the artists and event owners so that this money would at least stay in the industry. The CPA also added that all monies received in this eventually would be appropriately declared and thus HMRC receiving their share accordingly - this doesn't happen when touts sell tickets.

Literally thousands of the tickets that touts put onto the secondary

market don't actually exist and those that do are not in their possession

to sell on. This is the real problem facing fans as many are defrauded

out of their money by these unscrupulous touts. If legislation had been

brought in then it would also have eliminated the opportunity for this

ongoing fraud.

If promoters put tickets into the secondary market then the result is

that prices are brought down whilst also ensuring that some of the

tickets available in the secondary are actually genuine ones. In this

respect the secondary market is effectively being used as a premium price primary market for those fans who wish to use it for convenience. We are sure that those fans who use the secondary market for convenience and are prepared to pay a premium would be happier that the premium went to the artist via the promoter rather than went to a tout.

The CPA urges the current government to act against the epidemic of

fraudulent listings of non-existing tickets on the Internet.

Executive Committee, CPA

[eFestivals]

What that CPA statement omits is that the promoters also wanted market protection legislation to protect their market position along with the anti-touting stuff.

It also omits the fact that the govt asked the promoters to take some simple measures to help combat touting before legislation would be considered. the promoters refused to take those simple measures and by their refusal it was them who caused the govt to not legislate.

Anyone might think they actually wanted touting. Their actions since only re-enforce that.

[edfirth]

Seriously, can we not let this die. I have a good friend in the States that I met at Coachella and the amount of crap he goes through with ticket scalping is unreal

[jump]

Did Chris Martin ever make a comment about all the Coldplay tixs being touted?

[eFestivals]

Did Chris Martin ever make a comment about all the Coldplay tixs being touted?

not as far as I'm aware, so it doesn't take a huge leap to make a pretty safe conclusion.

[jump]

not as far as I'm aware, so it doesn't take a huge leap to make a pretty safe conclusion.

[rustysub]

Radiohead trying to reduce the secondary market activity, 3 UK shows announced and you are restricted to 2 tickets with photo ID and user credit card required at the venue to gain a wrist band and entry.