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Resale of tickets might be limited in response to scalping issues

The government has revealed plans to cap the resale price of tickets as part of efforts to combat ticket touting, which has led to inflated prices for concert-goers.

Resale of tickets might be limited in response to scalping issues

The cap could limit resale prices to the original ticket cost or allow a 30% increase. A public consultation will be held to determine the exact details of the measure.

In addition to capping prices, the government is also considering limiting how many tickets a reseller can list, with the maximum being equal to the number they initially purchased.

These proposals come after incidents, such as for Taylor Swift's concerts, where tickets were resold at significantly higher prices. Fans of other artists like Oasis have also been affected by the lack of clarity around dynamic pricing systems, which saw the price of some tickets soar from £148 to £355 as fans waited in queues.

The government has already pledged to review dynamic pricing, with the new measures focused on preventing ticket hoarding and resale at inflated prices. There have long been concerns about the fairness of ticket resales, with prominent artists like Ed Sheeran advocating for greater regulation.

Research by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) shows that secondary ticket sales typically mark up prices by more than 50%, and investigations by Trading Standards have uncovered cases where resale prices were up to six times the original cost. A report from Virgin Media O2 estimated that ticket touts cost music fans an additional £145 million annually.

These proposed changes will apply to music concerts, live sports, and other events, fulfilling a promise made in the Labour manifesto to create a fairer ticket-buying system.

DJ Fatboy Slim expressed his support for the plans, saying it was "great to see money being put back into fans' pockets instead of resellers." Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, also supported the proposals, stating they would help tackle the "perverse incentives" harming music fans.

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