Live event ticket auction resale slammed in government report
Published January 6th, 2008
MPs are set to call for an industry code of conduct on the re-sale of event tickets, especially through internet auction sites.
The report, to be published on January 10, will also say that the auction sites have exploited fans, including those of music gigs and festivals, by allowing touts to re-sell tickets at vastly inflated prices.
The BBC claims that the report, from the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, will call for the threat of action by the Office of Fair Trading if no code is agreed.
Websites such as eBay say there is no evidence that organised gangs are selling large numbers of tickets online.
Since May, the committee has been investigating whether the re-sale of tickets is acceptable, and whether a ban on touting at football matches should be extended to other events.
It looked at the underlying causes of ticket touting, and its impact on performers, promoters and the public.
It also examined whether resale of a ticket, at face value or at a higher value, should be permitted in principle, and the impact of the internet upon trade in tickets.
A Led Zeppelin fan recently paid £83,000 for two tickets to the rock band’s reunion concert, as part of an auction for the BBC’s Children in Need.
