“Promoters and artists are the only people actively trying to combat touting by placing restrictions on the number of tickets that can be purchased at a time,” Green states. “This course of action goes against all economic sense – no other industry or business in the world places such voluntary restrictions limiting their sales. This is done out of genuine interest for the real fans.
“However, despite such action, it will never stop touting. We are not the legislators. Our hands are tied and thus yet again we call on the Government to urgently introduce legislation to end ticket touting once and for all.”
Fianna Fail aren’t the only ones who MCD are pointing an accusing finger at.
“Media outlets who carry advertisements on behalf of ticket touts are as guilty as the touts themselves as they provide the platform for the exploitation of genuine fans,” they charge. “We also invite the media to expose all touts by naming and shaming them.”
ARCADE FIRE JOIN IN
In the meantime, the promoters are stepping up their own anti-touting efforts.
“Any tickets offered for sale by them will be tracked to the source, cancelled and resold to genuine fans. Also, MCD are actively imposing a lifetime ban on all touts purchasing tickets for our events.”
Also lashing out at touts is Aiken Promotions’ Peter Aiken who proffers: “I don’t think there’s any fan, band, promoter or other person involved in the legitimate music industry who doesn’t want to see them put out of business. Realistically, you’re never going to stop individuals buying a couple of extra tickets and selling them on for a profit, but with the right legislation these professional American-style ‘brokers’ could be shut down overnight. The same goes for the guys you see selling tickets outside venues, ours included.”
Aiken Promotions, Ticketmaster Ireland and John Reynolds’ POD Concerts have all voiced their support for Fine Gael’s proposed ‘New Prohibition of Ticket Touts Bill’, which allows for the confiscation of tickets, fines of up to €3,000 and/or six months in jail. It’d also make it illegal for magazines like Buy & Sell or websites like eBay to carry adverts for tickets selling above face value.
“We weren’t consulted about Fine Gael’s proposals – we never are – but they’re definitely a step in the right direction,” agrees Peter Aiken.
Disappointed that so many tickets for their Irish and UK dates have fallen into the wrong hands, Arcade Fire have joined the fray with an appeal to fans.
“Please don’t encourage the touts,” the band said in a statement. “Wherever we have email addresses and ticket numbers for sellers, we will cancel the tickets and put them back up for sale on show day. Please don’t buy from them and risk your tickets being cancelled.”
Needaticket.net, meanwhile, have no plans to alter the way they conduct their business.
“We offer fans the chance to buy and sell their unwanted tickets through our site,” Needaticket M.D. Michael Scully tells hotpress. “This is a service which we hope to continue in the future.”
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