Press Release Archives

Cross-industry group unveils “Make Tickets Fair!” — Europe’s first ticket resale awareness campaign

Posted on 18 January, 202318 January, 2023

An alliance of live industry organisations and professionals from across Europe has revealed details of ‘Make Tickets Fair!’ — a campaign aimed at educating and empowering live entertainment fans to avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous ticket resellers.

A new industry-facing website has launched, with the goal of getting more agents, promoters, venues and indeed artists, involved ahead of consumer launch. The site provides free resources and advice for event organisers to direct fans to safe, official channels to buy resale tickets. It also offers a clear overview of ticket resale laws country by country. All these resources are available in English and Spanish, with Dutch and German to follow.

Further details will be revealed at Eurosonic, at a panel taking place tomorrow moderated by FEAT director Sam Shemtob. Speakers include Henk Schuit (Managing Director, Eventim Nederland), Jules de Lattre (Senior Music Agent, United Talent Agency) and Silke Lalvani (Head of Public Affairs, Pearle* – Live Performance Europe).

Conceived at ILMC, the campaign has been devised by a cross-industry working group and coordinated by FEAT over several months. The group comprises a wide range of individuals and organisations including UTA’s Jules de Lattre and One Fiinix Live’s Jon Ollier, as well as organisations including German live entertainment association BDKV, the European Music Managers Alliance, European Arenas Association, FanFair Alliance, Swiss consumer association FRC, Pearle* – Live Performance Europe, PRODISS, the Sports Rights Owners Coalition and Victim of Viagogo.

With an international consumer roll-out to follow, tomorrow’s Eurosonic panel will drive home the need to join together across the sector to educate ticket buyers on safe ticketing and help stem ticket resale abuses – ranging from huge, uncapped prices, to the selling of invalid tickets, and a lack of transparency for ticket buyers.

Jules de Lattre, Senior Music Agent at UTA, said, “It’s vital that this campaign is successful, and that means becoming front-of-mind with agents, managers and promoters when they are planning shows – so safe resale information goes out with all communications, including on ticket pages.”

Mark Lichtenhein, Chairman of the Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC), said, “The majority of major sporting events typically experience demand for tickets far exceeding the physical capacity of the venue, leading to illegitimate offers in secondary markets. It is therefore essential that fans are equipped with all the relevant, correct information before making any ticketing purchases”.

Johannes Ulbricht of BDKV said, “FEATs fight against secondary ticketing is appreciated and supported by German Live Entertainment Association BDKV”.

Silke Lalvani, Head of Public Affairs at Pearle* – Live Performance Europe, said, “We are delighted to be part of the campaign Make Tickets Fair! to bring awareness to all audiences about how and where to safely buy their event tickets. It is crucial that the live performance sector as a whole collaborates on stopping illegal ticket resale to make sure that fans have a great experience at live shows and other events.”

Neo Sala, FEAT Director and Founder & CEO of Doctor Music, said, “The current ticket resale market is, frankly, broken and the time for the industry to come together and act is long overdue. As the first Europe-wide campaign of its kind, Make Tickets Fair! has huge potential to help fans and rebuild trust in live music. To achieve this, cross-industry collaboration is essential, and we look forward to getting as many members of the live business on board as possible.”

Artists, promoters and other live industry professionals can learn more and get involved at maketicketsfair.org.

Follow the campaign on Twitter at @MakeTicketsFair and Instagram at @maketicketsfair.

European Parliament approves new digital rules with major impact on secondary ticketing

Posted on 5 July, 20225 July, 2022

The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing welcomes news that the European Parliament has voted to approve a new Regulation to better tackle online harms — the Digital Services Act (DSA) — with with 539 votes in favour, 54 votes against and 30 abstentions.

The new rules will help prevent abuses on online marketplaces, including ticket resale sites. They include measures to ensure professional sellers are identifiable, prevent certain manipulative sales tactics, and require regular reporting to improve transparency for consumers.

Identifying and verifying professional sellers
Online marketplaces will be required to obtain essential information about third party professional sellers, from their name and contact details, to their bank details and ID, before traders are allowed to list tickets on the platform. They will also be required to make best efforts to assess whether the information is reliable and complete, and ensure that the seller’s name, contact and trading details appear on the listing, as well as conduct random checks to prevent the resurfacing of listings that contravene national laws.

Increased accountability for marketplaces
Whilst ticket resale platforms can claim to be exempt from liability for content provided by third parties, provided they are not active hosts, they could now be held responsible for tickets listed in contravention of national laws, where fans are led to believe that the ticket is provided by the platform itself or that the seller is acting under its control. As a result, resale platforms should make it clear throughout the buying process that the tickets listed are provided by a third party.

Prohibition of dark patterns
Dark patterns (user interfaces designed in such a way as to trick users into making certain decisions, such as “pop-ups” or giving prominence to specific choices) will be prohibited. As such, ticket resale sites will be banned from using design tricks that manipulate consumers.

Annual reporting
Online hosting platforms such as ticket resale sites will be required to produce easily comprehensible and publicly-available annual reports on any content moderation activities relating to infringements of the law or the platform’s terms and conditions. This will give an indication of the scale of harmful activity taking place – important in helping enforcement agencies and advertising partners such as Google comprehend the scope of the problem. The reporting measures will be coupled with a simplified notice and action procedure for illegal listings.

Increased oversight
Every Member State will be required to appoint a Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) to enforce the rules laid out in the DSA, with far-reaching powers of investigation, including to carry out on-site inspections, interview staff members and require the production of documents and information. Penalties for non-compliance can reach up to 6% of platforms’ global turnover.

The DSA will now go through the formal adoption procedures by the European Council before it is published in the EU Official Journal. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, and its provisions will mainly apply fifteen months after entry into force or from 1 January 2024, whichever comes later.

Despite COVID-19, the European secondary ticketing market was estimated to be worth €1.83bn in 2021, with predictions to grow to €2.29bn by 2023; money that is drained from consumers and the sports and cultural industries. FEAT has spent two years engaging with policy-makers over the DSA, including spearheading an open letter with other concerned groups. This called on the EU to compel online marketplaces to act responsibly and was signed by nearly 150 representatives throughout the cultural industries and was recognised by commissioners in charge of the DSA.

While pleased that the legislation has finally been passed, FEAT recognises that the text could have gone further and will continue to campaign for tougher legislation to prohibit profiteering on uncapped resale sites at the expense of fans and the live industry.

Neo Sala, Director of FEAT and Founder and CEO of Doctor Music, stated “FEAT welcomes the new Digital Services Act, a landmark legislation aiming to protect consumers online. We hope that it will help prevent manipulative and exploitative practices taking place on resale sites and pave the way for tougher laws to ban profiteering altogether.”

FEAT Launches Guide on How to Find and Remove Touted Tickets

Posted on 19 January, 202219 January, 2022

Launched today at ESNS, FEAT is proud to present its latest guide for FEAT members and European promoters on how to deal with suspected touted tickets.

From set-up to post-show, “FEAT Guide: How to Find and Remove Scalped Tickets” provides simple step-by-step advice on how promoters can prevent tickets ending up in the wrong hands, while providing clear support to fans. Hoping to demystify the process of tackling touting, the guide outlines how to develop and implement an anti-tout policy, guide fans during on-sale, and spot signs of touting. It also advises on the best route to cancelling tickets in a fan-friendly way, while taking into account the relevant legal considerations. Added extras include template terms and conditions, as well as a template letter to send to any venues involved.

The live music industry suffered drastically as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with UK live revenues collapsing by up to 90% in 2020, according to UK Music. As concerts resume, reducing touting will help ensure fans regain their trust in ticketing and can afford to see their favourite acts.

Nicole Jacobsen, Managing Director and Co-Owner of tickets.de, said: “I’m really proud to have worked with FEAT on the ‘FEAT Guide: How To Find and Remove Scalped Tickets’. At tickets.de we’ve been working to stop scalping for over ten years, and the guide is just the latest in what is an on-going and dedicated campaign.”

FEAT Director Sam Shemtob added: “With the live business looking to get back on the front foot in 2022, the timing is perfect for promoters to take steps proven to reduce touting. We hope this guide will be beneficial to all those who work in the sector.”

FEAT would like to thank all who contributed to this project, especially Nicole Jacobsen from tickets.de.

The guide is available on request only — and will shortly be launched in French, Spanish and German. Those interested should contact FEAT at support@feat-alliance.org.

Europe’s Live Music Business Unites To Stop Ticket Touting

Posted on 17 January, 201916 February, 2023

Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) launches to promote face-value ticket resale
Members include promoters for Adele, Arcade Fire, Björk, Bruce Springsteen, Christine and the Queens, Ed Sheeran, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Florence + the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, Radiohead and Rammstein
Festivals include Doctor Music Festival, We Love Green, Peacock Festival, Once in a Blue Moon Festival, Hurricane and Southside
Already actively lobbying at EU level to improve ticket resale

Europe’s leading live music professionals have come together to form a new organisation, the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), to promote face value resale across the continent.

While a number of initiatives aimed at tightening up ticket resale have begun in recent years, some of which, like the UK’s FanFair Alliance, have had considerable success, global platforms continue to operate with impunity, ignoring guidance, legislation and rulings from courts.

Launching today at renowned live music conference ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), FEAT will build on the work of these initiatives to encourage better ticket resale practices via a continent-wide approach. FEAT’s focus includes:

Encouraging better legislation at national and EU level: coordinating lobbying efforts for better legislation to protect fans and artists and encouraging enforcement
Connecting live industry professionals: sharing knowledge and building consensus towards a fair and safe ticketing marketplace across Europe.
Collecting data and research: tracking artist and fan concerns, ensuring their interests are represented and voices are heard.

Working under the radar, FEAT is already actively involved in EU parliamentary discussions on secondary ticketing. FEAT has also been facilitating the formation of a legal group to coordinate activities on ticketing regulation and with search engines.

A non-profit organisation, FEAT will focus on the live music business and will build alliances with the full scope of the live entertainment industry including performing arts and sport.

The Alliance will be run by Sam Shemtob, a music business specialist who has been active in the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ticket Abuse for several years, and colleagues Katie O’Leary and Dominic Athanassiou, who also participate.

Said Scumeck Sabottka, CEO, MCT-Agentur and FEAT Director: “We need to get this right as otherwise fans and artists alike will be robbed by thieves; if we all pull this together and get EU legislation to follow our lead, we can ultimately make it work”

Neo Sala, Founder & CEO, Doctor Music and FEAT Director: “Governments need to understand speculative ticket resale is an abusive and unethical practice that harms people, and they need to approve laws that make it virtually impossible. We need legal tools that facilitate the immediate preventive close down of websites that put tickets on sale without having been authorised by the organiser of the event.”

Sam Shemtob, FEAT Director: “The growth and effectiveness of grassroots movements against industrial ticket touting in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland in recent years has been invigorating. The time has come for these these movements to connect, collaborate and speak as one at a European level, where MEPs are listening”

Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance: “The FanFair campaign has shown that legislation and regulation can have a disruptive impact on exploitative secondary ticketing and help foster a more consumer-friendly approach to ticket resale. There is still work to do in the UK and challenges ahead, but because of collective action the situation has improved markedly since 2016. Our focus will remain on these shores, but we are happy to share our experiences and support the activities of FEAT in building wider European networks and improving EU legislation.”

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom & Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ticket Abuse: “As Chair of the APPG on Ticket Abuse, I have worked on this issue in the UK for almost a decade. In 2011, I proposed a Bill which would cap ticket resale at 10% above their face value. Unfortunately, this Bill did not pass into UK Legislation. Since then, I have been working with my cross-party colleagues, and the sector, in order to tackle unscrupulous ticket touts in the UK, who re-sell tickets for profit. It is time for legislation that puts fans first, and I am working closely with the UK Minister to try and find a solution to this. I am pleased to support the efforts of FEAT in dealing with this across Europe.”

Claire Turnham MBE, Victim of Viagogo: “We are delighted to welcome FEAT and support your commitment to improve the safety of ticket buyers across Europe. Having worked closely with the FanFair Alliance in the UK over the last two years, I have seen how effective a coordinated, collaborative, industry-wide campaign can be when it puts the fans at the centre of the issue.”

Per Kviman, Chair and Virpi Imonnen, Vice-Chair, European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA): “In the last decade we’ve seen the live industry flourish, with revenues from concerts and festivals becoming the primary source of income for artists and musicians. But this has come at a price, and, spurred on by the rise of the internet, the secondary ticketing market has thrived, draining money away from fans, artists and the industry. It is great that FEAT has formed to enable us to work together on a European level to share experiences and knowledge and help better the market.”

Founding members

Ben Giezenaar – Co-Founder, Greenhouse Talent, Netherlands (Once in a Blue Moon Festival, Justin Bieber)
Christof Huber – Managing Director, Incognito, wepromote, Switzerland (Imagine Dragons, George Ezra)
Folkert Koopmans – CEO, FKP Scorpio, Germany (Ed Sheeran, Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters)
Kim Worsøe – Director, ICO, Denmark (The 1975, Sam Smith, Disturbed)
Neo Sala – Founder & CEO, Doctor Music, Spain (Adele, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Doctor Music Festival)
Olivier Darbois – Director, Corida, France (Christine and the Queens, Justice – produced worldwide, Kraftwerk, Radiohead – promoted France)
Pascal Van De Velde – Founder & CEO, Greenhouse Talent, Belgium & Netherlands (Elton John, Katy Perry)
Peter Aiken – Managing Director, Aiken Promotions, Ireland (Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Adele)
Philippe Cornu – Founder, wildpony, wepromote, Switzerland (Muse, Rammstein)
Scumeck Sabottka – CEO, MCT-Agentur, Germany (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Lykke Li, Björk, Rammstein, Florence + the Machine)
Vincent Sager – Managing Director, Opus One, Switzerland (Arcade Fire, Iron Maiden)

Supporters

FanFair Alliance
Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom & Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse
European Music Managers Alliance
Claire Turnham MBE, Victim of Viagogo
Guy Osborn, Professor of Law, University of Westminster
Mark James, Professor of Sports Law, Manchester Metropolitan University

Thanks to…

Adam Webb (FanFair Alliance), Annabella Coldrick (MMF), Dominic McGonigal (C8 Associates), Helen Smith (IMPALA)