Summary
This publication,
‘Ticket
Touting’ (HC 202), from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport
Committee examines the subject of secondary tickets sales.
Ticket
touting is an issue on which very strong and polarised views are held by those
involved in the selling of tickets for sports fixtures, concerts and theatres,
and by some of the people who go to the events. There is no consensus as to
whether 'touting' means all reselling of tickets, all reselling not authorised
by the original issuers, or only the shady or less reputable activities. This
secondary market in tickets is not a new phenomenon but the growth of the
internet has transformed and expanded it. Tickets can now be bought and sold on
an enormous scale in a very short time and it is easy for individuals to trade
in tickets from their own homes in their spare time.
‘Ticket
Touting’ (HC 202) surveys the whole ticket market, attitudes to secondary
selling, the scale of the secondary market, legislation relevant to secondary
selling, and what the industries have done to tackle touting.
The
Committee agrees with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that
regulatory intervention should only be introduced as a last resort. A middle
way, whereby those responsible for providing events would be able to share in
the profits which can now be made in the secondary market, is emerging as a
possible way forward. This move towards constructive dialogue between creators
and secondary marketers is welcomed and the Committee exhorts all interested
parties to get involved and seek a voluntary solution.
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