UK music fans lose £145m yearly to ticket touts

Research from telecoms company O2 reveals that ticket touts are costing UK music fans approximately £145 million annually. The study highlights the prevalence of automated bots that harvest tickets, making it difficult for genuine fans to purchase them at fair prices. O2, which sells over 1 million live music tickets each year, has faced over 50,000 bot attacks in just six weeks, prompting calls for legislative action against ticket resale for profit. The government is expected to consult on banning for-profit ticket resale, with culture secretary Lisa Nandy emphasizing the need for fair access to culture. A YouGov survey indicated that nearly half of gig-goers struggle to identify authorized ticket sellers, with one in five tickets sold in the UK ending up on secondary sites like Viagogo and StubHub, where prices can be inflated significantly. O2 supports the anti-touting campaign group FanFair Alliance's push for stricter regulations, advocating for clearer information during the ticket purchasing process. They propose that resale platforms should be easily identifiable in search results to prevent misleading practices. The report underscores the frustration of music fans who are often forced to pay inflated prices set by resellers rather than the artists themselves. Sharon Hodgson, an MP, has been actively working with FanFair Alliance to combat ticketing abuse, aiming for fair access to events. Labour leader Keir Starmer has also suggested capping resale prices, indicating a broader political will to address the issue of ticket touting in the UK music industry.