FanFair Alliance, a campaign group that has openly been anti-ticket touting, has called for legislators to outlaw uncapped ticket resale in the United Kingdom.
After three years, FanFair re-launched its campaign and attended an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse, where it laid out a plan to tackle issues within the resale ticketing industry. It called on the live music industry to price-cap ticket resale initiatives and to stop resale sites from buying their way to the top of Google searches.
FanFair announced its three-point plan “to help eradicate exploitative ticket touting and make life easier for UK music fans.” The plan includes legislative action to make it illegal to resell a ticket for profit, tech action to help direct customers towards legitimate sources of tickets, and industry action where live businesses cap consumer-friendly ticket resale.
The campaign said the UK should adapt policies similar to countries like France and Australia, who have outlawed ticket resale for profit. Those who can no longer attend an event are given services to resell their tickets for either the price they paid or less.
FanFair Alliance Campaign Manager Adam Webb said in a statement that online ticket touting was “out of control” in the UK when the campaign was first established in 2016. Now, he said it’s “clear we need a reset.”
“We need fresh legislation and fresh thinking – ending once and for all the parasitical practices of online ticket touts, while doing more to proactively promote capped consumer-friendly ticket resale,” Webb said. The UK is rightly proud of its live music culture, and this is an area we should and could be leading the world.”
It should be of note that FanFair is founded by Ian McAndrew and Harry Magree, who are both heavily invested in Twickets, alongside multiple industry insiders. Twickets, a ticket marketplace in the UK, boasts price caps on resale.
See FanFair’s full plan here.
