Another Look At Ticket Touts

The government has set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group to investigate the secondary market and examine the involvement of promoters and artists.

The six-strong group includes longtime anti-tout crusaders Sharon Hodgson (Labour) and Mike Weatherley (Conservative), plus Andrew Bingham (Con), Kerry McCarthy (Lab), Steve Rotheram (Lab) and Nigel Adams (Con).

The APPG’s next meeting is Jan. 29, when it will begin hearing from secondary sellers such as Viagogo, the live entertainment business, consumer organizations including Which?, primary ticket agents and police.

The police ran Operation Podium, which was set up to stop ticket touts from hawking seats for the 2012 Olympic Games, and later issued a report saying the practice should be outlawed.

The APPG will also try to get a parliamentary debate on secondary ticketing as MP’s have now returned from their Christmas break.

It’s not the first time the UK government has looked at the secondary market, although it’s never come very close to legislating against it.

Hodgson is more confident of success as more MPs from all parties are rallying to her cause.

“Whether it’s the Rugby World Cup final or a local gig, touting affects the constituents of all MPs,” she told Pollstar. “Hopefully the APPG and the short inquiry we’ll be running in 2014 will become a way for those MPs to explore these issues and raise them up the political agenda, and push for legislation to support the live event sector.”

Hodgson, who tried to bring in legislation to regulate the secondary ticketing market in 2011, including capping unauthorised resale profits at 10 percent, is also trying to suggest it as an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill.