Secondary Ticketing Market — [Andrew Rosindell in the Chair]

The speaker highlighted issues related to dynamic ticket pricing and queuing systems for major concerts, citing personal experiences. She expressed concerns about fans being exploited by inflated prices and the lack of transparency in surge pricing, affecting both artists and audiences. The speaker also mentioned the impact of secondary market ticket sales and called for more action on speculative selling as recommended by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Mr Abbott highlighted the issue of ticket touting, emphasizing that it leads to fans being priced out of live music events and impacts grassroots venues. He mentioned that his constituency's music scene includes The Smokehouse, which faced closure due to financial pressures during the pandemic but was saved by local crowdfunding and grants. Research shows two grassroots music venues close every week, raising concerns about future talent development. Mr Abbott called for community-owned assets to keep profits local and reinvest in projects, training young people in various aspects of live events management.

Ms Platt highlighted the barriers to accessing cultural experiences due to soaring ticket prices, particularly in her constituency. She praised the work of Leigh Film Society for offering affordable film screenings and stressed the importance of supporting grassroots venues that foster creativity and community engagement.

Mr Evans discussed the importance of separating secondary ticketing from dynamic ticket pricing, noting that the latter can provide benefits but must be used responsibly. He highlighted issues such as price gouging, hidden costs, and a lack of transparency, citing an example where a £250 face value ticket was marked up to £5,167 on Viagogo. Evans questioned the Government's consultation timeline and scope, and called for an analysis of foreign legislation to inform policy. He expressed support for the debate, saying 'hear, hear!', and asked if the Minister would give way. He then mentioned that Ed Sheeran has gone above and beyond by cancelling tickets when they had been resold.

Ms. Goldman shared her personal experience of buying duplicate concert tickets and highlighted the ongoing issue with secondary ticketing, noting that technology has made it worse for consumers due to bots scraping up tickets. She criticised both primary and secondary platforms for not being transparent and using tactics that drive up prices, affecting various sectors including sports and cultural events. She also mentioned Operation Podium during the 2012 Olympics, which uncovered organised crime networks profiting from ticket reselling.

Mr Wilkinson highlighted the frustration and sense of unfairness faced by fans who are priced out of events due to ticket touts. He cited an estimated £1 billion annual worth for the UK's secondary ticketing market in 2019, where tickets are often sold at inflated prices after being harvested from primary markets. He also noted that about half of Britons have been priced out of attending desired events.

She outlined the history of efforts to regulate the secondary ticketing market, noting previous failures with legislation like the Consumer Rights Act 2015. She cited research estimating that touts cost British music fans £145 million annually due to reselling tickets through non-compliant sites like Viagogo and GetMeIn. Sharon emphasised the need for stronger laws, better funding for National Trading Standards, and the importance of capping resale prices at face value plus 10% to prevent fraud and protect genuine fans. The hon. Member intervened to point out that when fans are forced to pay inflated prices, they lose opportunities to attend multiple concerts or sporting events due to budget constraints for the year. Ms Hodgson intervened to challenge the notion that dynamic pricing could lead to lower ticket prices. She cited experts from the all-party parliamentary group on ticket abuse who noted that prices never go down in practice, only up. She highlighted the efforts of musicians like Ed Sheeran, Iron Maiden, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, and others in trying to tackle ticket touting. She noted that while other artists have tried, Ed Sheeran has been particularly proactive by cancelling resold tickets.