Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Radiohead and Robert Smith call on UK PM to cap UK ticket resale prices

Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Radiohead and Robert Smith are among over 40 British artists calling on UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer to cap ticket resale prices.

The UK Labour government promised limiting resale sites and capping resale ticket prices during last year's general election, with a consultation taking place more than seven months ago, but it has not been made clear whether any new laws will be introduced. In the open statement directed at Starmer, the artists call on him to honour his pledge.

Ticket reselling sites such as Stubhub and Viagogo allow resellers to purchase mass amounts of tickets, often via the use of bots, that they then resell at extortionate prices. An investigation conducted by Which? revealed that the main ticket resellers for UK shows actually reside in countries such as Brazil, UAE, Singapore, Spain and the US.

Organisations such as O2. Which?, FanFair Alliance, O2, the Football Supporters’ Association and several other music venues and managers have also joined in signing the statement.

"For too long certain resale platforms have allowed touts to bulk buy and then resell tickets at inflated prices, forcing fans to either pay above the odds or miss out entirely," they wrote in the statement. "This erodes trust in the live events sector and undermines the efforts of artists and organisers to make shows accessible and affordable."

“Introducing a cap will restore faith in the ticketing system, help democratise public access to the arts in line with the Government’s agenda and make it easier for fans to spot illegal behaviour, such as ticketing fraud.”

Examples of the most inflated ticket resell prices include Oasis tickets for the band’s Wembley Stadium shows listed for £3,498.85 on Stubhub and £4,442 on Viagogo. A ticket for the All Points East festival in London’s Victoria Park, headlined by Raye, was listed for £114,666 on Viagogo.

“We are calling on the government to swiftly deliver on its pre-election promise to bring in a price cap," said UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl. "It’s high time we delivered for the fans who are the lifeblood of our industry and drove ticket touts out of business once and for all.”

After a scandal of extortionate ticket resell prices for Irish U2 and Coldplay concerts in 2021, ticket touting was made illegal in Ireland, making it against federal law to resell tickets at more than face value for a designated event. Those who do not abide by this law could face up to two years in prison and a €100,000 fine.