Radiohead have condemned ticket resale sites and “exploitative” touts who use them after more than 1,000 potentially fraudulent tickets for the band’s upcoming tour were advertised online before they had even gone on sale.
The rock quintet implemented strict measures designed to limit touts’ ability to buy up tickets for shows in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid and Bologna, announced to the delight of fans earlier this month.
But despite the band’s warnings that fans who buy from resale sites could be refused entry, the industry leader, Viagogo, and its smaller rival, Ticombo, appear to be planning to profit from the event. Sellers on Ticombo, the only one of the sites to have listed tickets for sale already, may have broken consumer law, according to one expert.
The development will add to pressure on the UK government to make good on its pledge to crack down on touting.
“Radiohead have always strived to protect their audience from exploitative ticket touts which, in the absence of robust government legislation, becomes increasingly challenging,” said the band’s manager, Julie Calland.
“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.”
Hurdles put in place by Radiohead’s management to stop touting meant that fans were invited to apply for an unlock code earlier this week.
Amid widespread disappointment from the many applicants who failed to get one, those armed with a code can apply for tickets from Friday but are still not guaranteed to get them.
“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 Calland.
Analysis of listings on Ticombo, a German-owned ticketing platform with a London office, found more than 1,200 tickets advertised for the shows, for prices up to £788.
Of those, 30 were for just one night of four at the O2 in London, listed for a combined value of more than £22,000 by a single trader, a Swiss company called Worldtix AG.
Both Calland and industry experts said that they did not believe it was possible for anyone to have the tickets before they go on general sale.
This raises questions over the potential use of “speculative listings”, which is when touts advertise seats they do not have, hoping to bank a sale and then source the tickets later.
This practice has been deemed fraudulent in a criminal court.
Ticombo said there was “no evidence that the listings in question are speculative or fraudulent” and that tickets could have been obtained some other way, such as through hospitality releases.
But Reg Walker, a ticket security expert who works with large venues and artists, said: “The tickets do not exist. It’s a clear breach of the Consumer Rights Act, which is designed to protect consumers from fraud.”
Ticombo said it “takes these matters very seriously”. It removed the listings after it was contacted by the Guardian and said it “merely provides a technology platform” and did not buy or sell tickets itself. The company takes a commission on every ticket sold.
Worldtix AG said it was an intermediary, distributing tickets on behalf of a “network of sellers, ticket brokers and authorised agents”.
“We are currently reviewing the listings in question to double-check the validity of the tickets and ensure full compliance with our policies,” it said.
Ticombo was a major sponsor of a secret meeting of UK touts, revealed in undercover footage filmed by the Guardian last year, at which professional ticket “traders” discussed how to derail Labour’s election manifesto pledge to ban for-profit resales.
The company has since lobbied MPs, employing the services of a public relations firm called Field Consulting, amid an ongoing government consultation about the policy.
In its submission to the consultation, Ticombo suggested a cap on resale of 200% of a ticket’s face value. Ministers, who have outlined proposals for a cap of up to 30%, are expected to outline their final plans within weeks.
Amid the threat of tighter regulation, Viagogo’s US parent company, StubHub, recently scaled back its stock market float ambitions, aiming for a $9bn (£6.6bn) valuation having previously set a target of $16.5bn (£12.1bn).
Adam Webb, a spokesperson for FanFair Alliance, said: “This exploitative model can be devastating for artists and audiences, and it won’t stop until the government introduces and enforces a long-promised cap on ticket resale prices.”
Viagogo, by far the largest player in the UK secondary ticketing market, also appears to be planning to defy Radiohead’s anti-tout measures, stating on its website that tickets will be on sale from Friday.
The company even included a message to potential buyers, claiming that less than 1% of customers who had previously bought Radiohead tickets through the site had ever complained about being refused entry.
Viagogo criticised Radiohead’s ticket 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.”
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “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.”
