Features
BDV Swats At Seatwave
German promoter Scumeck Sabottka has used the country’s major promoters’ association to stop secondary ticketer Seatwave from selling tickets for his Robbie Williams shows.
The MCT chief, a vocal opponent of ticket touts, had the BDV send a cease and desist letter to Seatwave, which then removed all Williams tickets on sale for more than face value.
The shows are scheduled in May with the
“We have obtained several preliminary injunctions against other secondary ticketing platforms,” BDV lawyer Doctor Johannes Ulbricht explained.
Two years ago the BDV announced a “sustainable and ongoing” campaign to prevent the resale of tickets.
Viagogo is another secondary seller targeted by the lawyers at Michow & Partner, which is run by Ulbricht and BDV chief Jens Michow.
“Viagogo is a special case as they have such deep pockets that they decide to ignore the injunctions and let us sue them for damages, which we do,” Ulbricht told Pollstar. “It takes time because they are located in Switzerland. However, we will also take additional legal steps against them and possibly also against their management and maybe also against their investors. We are quite optimistic.”
Sabottka’s also had his run-ins with the secondary market, including making life harder for the touts by personalising every ticket for three
He also said the live music business has been complicit in the spread of the secondary market because everyone saw a chance to cash in on it.
Seatwave was previously in trouble with prominent German promoter Marek Lieberberg, who issued a cease and desist letter to prevent it from offering tickets for his Rock am Ring festival.