Live industry groups have joined together to unveil a new ‘Make Tickets Fair!’ initiative, which is a campaign aimed at educating live entertainment fans to avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous ticket resellers.
The campaign was created by a cross-industry group co-ordinated by FEAT (The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing), and a new industry-facing website is set to be launched. At this current stage, the goal is to get more agents, promoters, venues and artists involved before making the website available to consumers.
Launching to the public over the coming year, the campaign is being worked on by FEAT and a number of organisations including Bundesverband der Konzert – und Veranstaltungswirtschaft (BDKV); European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA); European Arenas Association; FanFair Alliance; La Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC); One Fiinix Live; Pearle* – Live Performance Europe; PRODISS; Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC); United Talent Agency (UTA) and Victim of Viagogo.
Jules de Lattre, senior music agent at UTA, said: “t’s vital that this campaign is successful, and that means becoming front-of-mind with agents, managers and promoters when they are planning shows – so safe resale information goes out with all communications, including on ticket pages.”
Mark Lichtenhein, chairman of SROC, added: “The majority of major sporting events typically experience demand for tickets far exceeding the physical capacity of the venue, leading to illegitimate offers in secondary markets. It is therefore essential that fans are equipped with all the relevant, correct information before making any ticketing purchases.”
The website will aim to provide free resources and advice for event organisers to direct fans to safe, official channels to purchase resale tickets. It will also list a clear overview of ticket resale laws in each country, with all resources available in English and Spanish, and eventually in Dutch and German.
Silke Lalvani, head of public affairs at Pearle, said: “We are delighted to be part of the campaign Make Tickets Fair! to bring awareness to all audiences about how and where to safely buy their event tickets. It is crucial that the live performance sector as a whole collaborates on stopping illegal ticket resale to make sure that fans have a great experience at live shows and other events.”
Neo Sala, FEAT director and founder, and chief executive of Doctor Music, added: “The current ticket resale market is, frankly, broken and the time for the industry to come together and act is long overdue. As the first Europe-wide campaign of its kind, Make Tickets Fair! has huge potential to help fans and rebuild trust in live music. To achieve this, cross-industry collaboration is essential, and we look forward to getting as many members of the live business on board as possible.”