The short version
- The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has formed a dedicated team to draft legislation banning for-profit resale of concert tickets.
- Recent research indicates that a small number of overseas-based resellers dominate listings on secondary platforms, often inflating prices by thousands of percent.
- While the government aims to align UK law with Ireland’s 2021 ban, officials are working to prevent loopholes that allow touts to operate from offshore jurisdictions.
The British government has accelerated efforts to criminalize the for-profit resale of concert tickets, moving a long-standing political pledge into active legislative development. Civil servants within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have assembled a specialized team tasked with drafting the necessary laws. This move addresses a commitment made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the 2024 election campaign to prevent fans from being exploited by secondary marketplaces such as Viagogo and StubHub. Although the measure was notably absent from this year’s King’s Speech, raising concerns among industry observers that the initiative had stalled, internal sources confirm that policy work is intensifying.
The push for stricter regulation has gained momentum following public pressure from prominent musicians and cultural figures. Artists including Tinie Tempah and Mike Joyce, the drummer for the Smiths, have publicly urged the government to act swiftly. Their advocacy highlights growing frustration with a market where tickets are frequently siphoned away by resellers who contribute nothing to the live music ecosystem. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy recently indicated that the issue is a priority for the government, noting the particular passion of Labour leader Andy Burnham on the matter. Further details regarding the legislative approach are expected to be outlined in an upcoming speech at the Labour conference.
Recent investigations into the secondary ticketing market have revealed significant abuses, particularly affecting smaller venues in Greater Manchester. Research conducted by the FanFair Alliance examined three hundred events across thirteen locations, including Band On The Wall and Gorilla. The study found that tickets were consistently advertised at prices significantly above face value. In some instances, listings lacked essential seller information, which appears to violate existing competition rules. Under the proposed reforms, companies failing to enforce these transparency standards would face substantially harsher penalties.
The data also highlighted the prevalence of speculative selling, a practice where resellers list tickets they do not actually possess in hopes of acquiring them after securing a buyer. This fraudulent tactic creates uncertainty and financial risk for consumers. The most extreme example identified involved a ticket for Mica Millar’s performance at New Century, which was listed at nearly six thousand pounds, representing a markup of over nineteen thousand percent. Even events with modest attendance, such as a conversation featuring Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, saw tickets resold for hundreds of pounds above their original cost.
Geographic analysis of the resellers responsible for these listings suggests that the problem is increasingly international in scope. The FanFair Alliance reported that just three entities based in Latvia, North America, and Germany accounted for more than seventy-five percent of the problematic listings. Viagogo has disputed this finding, arguing that the actual proportion held by these specific actors is significantly lower. The company also noted that many high-priced listings were never completed sales, asserting that actual transaction prices are much lower than the initial advertised figures.
Viagogo maintains that it operates in full compliance with current UK laws and has policies prohibiting speculative listings. The platform pointed out that it hosts a wide variety of events, including obscure gatherings such as psychic readings and rum tastings, which may skew perceptions of its primary business model. However, critics argue that the sheer volume of inflated concert ticket listings demonstrates a systemic failure to protect consumers. The government’s legislative team is reportedly considering mechanisms to mitigate the risk that resellers will simply relocate their operations offshore to bypass new domestic restrictions.
If enacted, the proposed ban would bring the United Kingdom in line with Ireland, which outlawed ticket touting in 2021. Currently, unauthorized resale of football tickets is illegal across the UK, but concert and theatre tickets remain largely exempt from such prohibitions. While individual resellers have occasionally been prosecuted for fraud, there is no blanket ban on for-profit resale. Estimates suggest that fans lost approximately sixty million pounds to touts between the initial policy announcement and April of this year, with markups reaching up to one thousand percent for popular acts.
A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport emphasized the government’s determination to right historical wrongs in the ticketing market. The official statement highlighted the goal of creating measures that are effective, enforceable, and future-proof. By bringing forward draft legislation in the current parliamentary session, officials aim to provide fans with the security they have long deserved. The outcome of these efforts will determine whether the UK can successfully close loopholes that have allowed secondary markets to exploit live music enthusiasts for years.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗Work intensifying on UK laws to stamp out concert ticket touts, say sources
