New Ticketing Laws: How Much Could Fans Save?
Recently, the UK government announced significant measures aimed at reforming ticket resale practices for live events. These changes come in response to ongoing concerns about ticket touting and inflated prices that frustrate many fans. The measures are designed to protect consumers and ensure fair access to tickets for concerts, sports events, theatre performances, and more.
New Ticketing Laws: Key Features
The upcoming changes will make it illegal to resell tickets above their original face value. This includes any service charges that may apply. Here are the main components of the new regulations:
- Resale of tickets above face value is prohibited.
- Tickets can only be sold at their original price plus unavoidable fees.
- Service charges imposed by resale platforms will be capped.
- Resale platforms must monitor compliance with these price caps.
- Individuals cannot resell more tickets than they originally purchased.
The legislation is still pending approval from the House of Commons, and the timeline for implementation remains uncertain. However, it is anticipated that the laws will apply broadly to various live entertainment types.
Reasons for Introducing New Rules
Ticket touting has evolved, with scalpers using automated bots to acquire large quantities of tickets for popular events. These tickets are then offered at exorbitant prices on secondary markets, disappointing genuine fans and harming the live events industry. The new regulations aim to curb these practices and enhance access for real attendees.
Moreover, the rules will extend beyond traditional secondary platforms to include social media marketplaces, ensuring all ticket resellers comply with the new standards. Violators may face penalties from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Potential Savings for Fans
Fans can expect substantial savings as a result of these laws. Government analysis estimates that ticket resale prices could decrease by an average of £37, which would lead to total savings of around £112 million annually for concertgoers. The shift could also result in approximately 900,000 additional direct ticket purchases from primary sellers each year.
Concerns About the New Regulations
Some critics argue that these changes may merely push ticket reselling into less regulated online spaces. Established resale platforms often guarantee ticket authenticity, allowing fans to receive refunds for fake tickets. A crackdown on these platforms could expose buyers to greater risks of fraud.
Additionally, the possibility of physical ticket scalping reemerging raises alarms. This traditional method involves touts buying and reselling tickets outside event venues.
Industry Response
Responses from the ticketing industry have varied. Companies like Viagogo claim price caps have failed fans in other countries, leading to higher fraud rates. They advocate for “open distribution,” which would link primary and secondary ticketing platforms to verify ticket authenticity.
On the other hand, platforms such as Twickets already enforce a policy of limiting resale prices to face value, supporting the government’s intentions. Richard Davies, Twickets’ founder, described the proposed measures as a significant step toward consumer protection.
Dynamic Pricing Issues
Dynamic pricing continues to be a contentious issue within the ticketing realm. This practice involves ticket prices fluctuating based on demand, which has led to substantial backlash in the past. While dynamic pricing will still be permitted, companies must provide clearer information regarding price changes to fans.
Reselling Your Ticket
Under the new proposals, fans will retain the right to resell tickets they can no longer use. However, they will only be allowed to do so at the original price or lower, plus any applicable service charges.
