Photo Credit: The O2
Bastille frontman Dan Smith becomes the latest musician to join the O2 for the launch of ‘Stamp It Tout,’ part of the O2’s broader campaign for fair ticketing.
Dan Smith’s support comes as O2 ramps up its Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign ahead of the landmark UK government consultation closing on April 4. The consultation was initiated by the government in January to give industry leaders and music fans the chance to share the impact ticket touts are currently having on the ability for people to access live events.
The musician is urging fans to share their own experiences of the ticket resale market and join the movement for change. The news follows the recent announcement of Bastille’s new tour, which will stop at the O2 on November 18.
In addition to its longstanding calls for better regulation around the resale of tickets, O2 — which sells over 1.5 million tickets per year to its customers via Priority Tickets — has created Stamp It Tout. The online hub was designed to combat consumer confusion online and minimize the chance for touts to profit from genuine fans.
Research from O2 and YouGov found that nearly half (48%) of music fans who have attended live events are “not confident” in identifying a ticket resale platform. Further, nearly two-thirds (62%) of music fans buying a ticket from a resale platform don’t realize they are buying it from another human being, and 64% don’t realize the price they are paying is set by the individual reselling the ticket.
Stamp It Tout aims to demystify the way touts currently operate and offer music fans the following:
- Simple tips to help them make informed ticketing purchases and avoid being ripped off by ticket scalpers.
- A guide to the government’s consultation — why music fans should take part and how they can do so in a matter of minutes.
- More information about the Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign so far and what this means to music fans.
O2 will also deploy a Consultation Station at the O2 Store at The O2 in London, on April 1, 2, and 3. The Station is a space where music fans can easily submit their own views on ticket touting and how the government should take action. The views gathered across the three days will then form part of O2’s own response to the consultation to ensure music fans’ voices are being heard and represented.
As well as getting thoughts from music fans directly, O2 is continuing its work with the FanFair Alliance — the UK campaign against industrial-scale online ticket touting, of which O2 has been a member since 2017 — on its recommendations to government.
“Ticket touts have been ripping off music fans for way too long — like O2, I’ve been banging on about the unfairness of this for years,” shares Dan Smith. “I’ve been frustrated to see it as someone in a band who hates our fans getting ripped off, and I’ve been frustrated to see it as a fan who goes to a lot of gigs myself. I hope the government takes notice and actually does something about it this time to stop the touts and keep tickets in the hands of genuine music fans.”
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Sponsorship and Partnerships at Virgin Media O2, commented: “The future of live entertainment in the UK is being decided now. For far too long, professional ticket touts have been stealing tickets out of fans’ hands. The government has the power to stop them in their tracks and give gigs back to their rightful owners — the fans and the artists.”
Once the consultation closes on April 4, the government will assess responses from fans and the music industry before determining any new rules that will come into effect. Until then, O2 will continue its work to ensure fans are armed with the information needed to help them buy tickets without being ripped off by touts.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.