Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Music Industry: Ticket Prices

Thursday 18 April 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tan Dhesi asked the Minister about discussions to reduce music ticket prices and mentioned the rejection of Competition and Markets Authority recommendations.
  • The Minister disagreed with Dhesi, citing the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Digital Economy Act 2017 as measures addressing secondary ticketing issues.
  • Thangam Debbonaire criticized secondary ticketing websites for inflating prices and damaging the relationship between fans, artists, and venues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP noted concerns about ticket prices in the music industry, citing recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority to strengthen legislation against illegal reselling practices.

Question

What discussions her Department has had with the music industry on taking steps to help reduce ticket prices. Last year, they rejected the recommendations and warnings of the Competition and Markets Authority to strengthen legislation and protect consumers from illegal reselling practices in the secondary ticketing market. Will the Minister concede that the problem has got much worse for fans? When will the Government finally put a stop to that?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The Government brought in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which was strengthened by the Digital Economy Act 2017, which brought in anti-bots regulation that dealt with some of those secondary ticketing issues. It is a tricky problem to solve. We are trying to do so through those regulations, but if there is more that we can do, we will look into that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister disagreed with the MP's assessment and did not concede any worsening situation despite acknowledging it as a tricky problem.

How: I Disagree With The Hon. Gentleman.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlighted that the government has not acted in the interest of fans when it comes to ticket touting and cited the rejection of recommendations by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Question

Last year, they rejected the recommendations and warnings of the Competition and Markets Authority to strengthen legislation and protect consumers from illegal reselling practices in the secondary ticketing market. Will the Minister concede that the problem has got much worse for fans? When will the Government finally put a stop to that?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The Government brought in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which was strengthened by the Digital Economy Act 2017, which brought in anti-bots regulation that dealt with some of those secondary ticketing issues. It is a tricky problem to solve. We are trying to do so through those regulations, but if there is more that we can do, we will look into that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister disagreed with the MP's assessment and did not concede any worsening situation despite acknowledging it as a tricky problem.

How: I Disagree With The Hon. Gentleman.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q3 Thangam Debbonaire Lab
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP highlighted that ticket touts are a scourge on the live music industry and secondary ticketing websites inflate prices, making cultural events unaffordable for many families. She noted Labour's commitment to tackling soaring ticketing prices.

Question

Ticket touts are a scourge on our live music industry. Secondary ticketing websites inflate prices and pocket the profits, which makes cultural and sporting events unaffordable for many families and damages the relationship between fans, artists and venues. While the Government fail to act, Labour has committed to tackling soaring ticketing prices on the secondary market. Surely the Minister agrees that only Labour will put fans back at the heart of music and cultural events.

Answer from Julia Lopez

Surely the hon. Member would not expect me to agree with such a ludicrous statement. We brought in laws and we have anti-bot regulations, and we have had ticket touts arrested for their activities. I know that Labour has brought forward its own proposal—effectively a price cap on resale—which we do not think is workable. We have seen that in Ireland, and it simply increases fraudulent activity; it does not deliver for fans. We simply do not believe that what she is proposing will make any difference.

Not addressed: The Minister did not agree with Labour's approach and criticized their proposal without addressing the question directly.

How: Surely The Hon. Member Would Not Expect Me To Agree With Such A Ludicrous Statement.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)