German Promoter Association Bdv Preparing To Sue Viagogo

bdv president Prof. Jens Michow
Klaus Westermann – bdv president Prof. Jens Michow
Welcomes Ticketmaster’s recent decision to shut down its resale marketplaces GetMeIn! and Seatwave

Germany’s promoter association bdv has launched a campaign against secondary ticketing called “Nein zum Ticketschwarzmarkt,” which translates along the lines of, “say ‘no’ to the black market for tickets.”

It also announced that it was getting ready to sue Viagogo for damages. 
The information campaign intends to inform the public about the “risks” of buying tickets on the secondary market by placing a new logo on concert tickets, posters, artist websites etc.
According to a statement released by bdv, tickets for major concerts, soccer games and other events are increasingly being bought on the secondary market, where a 250-percent markup on the ticket’s face value “are no exception.”
It names StubHub, Ticketbande and Viagogo as the main channels used in Germany.
In addition to paying far too much for a ticket, customers are sometimes faced with worse seats than initially indicated or even invalid tickets, the statement continues.
Bdv legal advisor Dr. Johannes Ulbricht said the association has been “fighting against this growing ulcer of the events industry for years. But since most secondary market agents online remain anonymous or based abroad, they can hardly be held accountable.”
Bdv members include a.s.s. concerts + promotion GmbH (Hamburg), Allgäu Concerts GmbH (Buchenberg), André Rieu Productions (Maastricht, Netherlands), DEAG (Berlin), FKP Scorpio (Hamburg), Landstreicher Booking and Landstreicher Konzerte (Berlin), Live Nation GmbH (Berlin), Mandred Hertlein Veranstaltungs GmbH (Würzburg), Peter Rieger Konzertagentur (Cologne), Wizard Promotions (Frankfurt am Main), and many more.
Many bdv members have lamented that they’ve been losing control over the pricing of their events. Many of them, and artists they represent, have called for legislation to regulate the secondary market, following examples of France, England, Belgium, Italy and others.
Bdv announced it would be lobbying on behalf of its members to get a price cap enshrined in law that would place a 25 percent limit on the mark-up that can be charged for tickets on the secondary market.
In the light of bdv’s announcement, the association’s president Prof. Jens Michow commented on the recent move by Ticketmaster to shut its secondary marketplaces GetMeIn! and Seatwave, calling it a “farsighted” decision. 
“It’s a decision for the audience, for the artists, and therefore a decision for the quality and sustainability of the events industry,” he said.
However, he continued, since e-commerce platforms were still exempt from liability when ignoring the illegal business that was being conducted through them, legislative action was needed. Michow said that not just Viagogo but eBay and other platforms as well were ignoring the association, when it pointed out illegal ticket offerings, instead of cancelling them.
“In the case of Viagogo, we’re currently preparing action for damages,” said Michow.
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