New study shows ticket resale anxieties as Aussies question if Government action is enough?

As Sydney consumers question if NSW’s anti-bot legislation will effectively tackle scalping and South Australian music fans criticise the response of authorities to complaints, a new study has shown the level of anger against secondary ticketing sellers.

Promoters are worried that this could, in the long run, lead to a crisis of confidence in the entire live music sector.

Ticked Off: Consumer Attitudes To Secondary Ticketing is a new study commissioned by anti-touting pressure group FanFair Alliance, and conducted by AudienceNet/Music Allyshow.

It showed that 80% of the British public considers the secondary ticketing £1 billion (A$1.7 billion) per annum sector a “rip-off”. About £500 million ($855 million) can be attributed to music events.

Ticked Off also reflects the belief by Australian promoters and venue operators that 67% of fans who pay out above-face value tickets are less likely to spend less at the concert venue, other live events and buying recorded music.

FanFair Alliance campaign manager Adam Webb observed, “The message from this research appears to be pretty clear: UK audiences are fed up.

“The model of secondary ticketing promoted by Viagogo, StubHub, Get Me In! and Seatwave is causing them very real concern – albeit, they are not against the concept of ticket resale.

“The majority would like the option to resell a ticket for the price they paid for it, and they’re in favour of measures to curb mass-scale online ticket touting.

“On that front, FanFair urges legislators and regulators to accelerate their endeavours to tackle the most egregious practices of the secondary market.”

In recent times, major names as Midnight Oil, Jimmy Barnes and Missy Higgins have implementing anti-scalper strategies.

These include personalising each ticket with the buyer’s name, trawling platforms to find multiple listings and voiding them, and providing physical tickets to buyers until the last minute to reduce the time to put them up for resale.

FanFair evidence suggests that the majority of secondary ticket listings at high-demand music events are made by “professional” third-party trader as opposed to genuine fans.

The study says 52% of fans find it difficult to tell the difference between authorised primary ticket sellers and illegal secondary sites.

Up to 58% still support the concept of resale platforms but 82% reckon they should be more transparent about the identity of the seller, 80% think there should be a limit on tickets being sold with each transaction, and 75% support the idea of personalised tickets with ID checks.

43% went to Google first to search for tickets, where resellers pay to be on top of the search engine.

Last week, South Australia’s Attorney-General John Rau told Parliament he was investigating whether a new law should be brought in to tackle those who bought a huge number of concert and sports tickets to “corner the market.”

At the same time, Greens MP Tammy Franks described government departments’ handling of public complaints as “horrid”.

Complaints in SA have to go to Government agency Consumer and Business Services, where the staffare expected to make the proper inquiries and decide whether certain action should be taken.

But in one instance one complaint was sent to an incorrect email address. Another disgruntled fan wast advised wrongly to go to the SA Tourism Commission.

Franks said, “The main game here is online rorts and dodgy dealings. Choice is taking on the dodgy dealers, the music industry is absolutely crying out for state and federal jurisdictions to offer solutions and the Major Events Act has proved to be no real antidote at all.”

The Adelaide Advertiser noted that since 2013 when it became illegal in South Australia to resale tickets for major events for over 110% of face value, no one has been charged.

Yet Ed Sheeran tickets for May 2018 are being resold for up to $3,000.

Last month, NSW became the first state in Australia to ban the use of the bot’s software to grab a large chunk of tickets when they go on sale.

Those who do face fines of $101,000 for corporations and $22,000 for individuals.

Under laws passed on October 18, ticket resales are capped at 10% of original purchase, and prohibits tickets that go over this cap from being advertised,

The Government now has the power to order event organisers to disclose the number of tickets available for sale to the public.

While sectors of the live sector applaud the new law, there are concerns if the NSW Government has incorporated enough resources to take effective action in the courts.

Some are also questioning how much of reselling in Australia is based on bots. The NSW Government doesn’t seem to know for sure.

One promoter told TMN on condition of anonymity, “Ticketek has readily revealed that 70% of its sales activity is from opts, and they’re honest that it’s hard to monitor.

“We’re not sure what the rate is for other platforms. But nevertheless, it is important to remember that any legislation, no matter how well-intended, is useless without teeth or resources for them to be implemented.”