It’s D-day for Radiohead fans trying to get tickets for the band’s five European residencies, but even before the sale opened this morning (September 12) it was being reported that up to 1,000 fraudulent tickets were being advertised online.
This is despite the hurdles that were put in place to thwart touts. First of all, fans had to pre-register. Then they had to apply for an unlock code. Only those lucky punters provided with a code could apply for tickets and even then they were not guaranteed them.
But despite this, there have been reports of tickets for sale on the secondary site Ticombo. These, it seems, were ‘speculative’ listings. In other words, touts were gambling on being able to get tickets so they could sell them on at a profit. This is against the law.
“The registration process, while not a perfect science, is an attempt to deliver tickets as fairly as possible directly to fans at the prices the band intended,” said the band’s manager Julie Calland.
She continued: “Radiohead have always strived to protect their audience from exploitative ticket touts which, in the absence of robust government legislation, becomes increasingly challenging.”
“Fans will be encouraged to stay away from secondary sites and we will work alongside venues, promoters and organisations like FanFair Alliance and FEAT (Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing), to shut down unauthorised sales at inflated prices – tickets that for the most part, don’t actually exist.”
Ticombo are claiming that there is “no evidence that the listings in question are speculative or fraudulent” and have removed them. They told the Guardian that they “merely provide a technology platform” rather than actually selling tickets. However, it should be pointed out that they take a commission on every ticket sold on their platform.
In addition to this Viagogo, the largest secondary ticketing site, has also said that they will be selling Radiohead tickets from today (September 12) and in a statement appeared to take aim at Radiohead’s ticketing policy saying: “We are fully compliant in the UK, where resale is highly regulated and permitted under the law.”
“Some organisers take anti-competitive actions and try to limit where tickets can be bought or sold. We exist to serve fans on their terms – whether they missed the onsale, are buying tickets just days before the event, or need to sell at the last minute.”
Of course, those last three are legitimate reasons why an ordinary punter might want to use a secondary site. But Viagogo is clearly being disingenuous here - no genuine fan would ever sell a ticket they had just purchased on the same day.
And so when the best laid plans of bands can’t frustrate the touts, it’s clear it will take legislation to clean up the secondary ticketing market. In a statement the Department Of Business and Trade said, regarding this issue: “The Radiohead tour is a great opportunity for fans to enjoy live music – but too often rip-off touts are ruining the gig-going experience.
“We are considering the evidence provided in response to our consultation earlier this year and are committed to clamping down on this activity as part of the Plan for Change.”
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