Over 130 Music Professionals Demand EU Action on Unauthorized Ticket Resales

Over 130 members of the music industry have signed a new open letter requesting EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath impose restrictions on “predatory ticket resales.” Signatories represent agents, managers, artists, venues, and festival organizers from across 23 countries in the European Union.

The issue:

• One request in the letter is to expand the Digital Fairness Act to cover unauthorized ticket resales.

• These resellers generate €2.5 billion per year in Europe from faulty sales.

• The letter claims fans who purchase tickets through these platforms often pay much higher prices. Oftentimes, the tickets end up being invalid.

• The Digital Services Act has attempted to address the issue, but the letter states such efforts have been ineffective.

• The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), an organization dedicated to addressing ticket resale fairness, reported almost 1,000 illegally listed tickets. None were taken down by the platform.

• Major platforms, including Viagogo, StubHub International, Gigsberg, and Ticombo, hosted felonious listings.

• In one case, 2,000 tickets for a single tour were found on a resale website before the official sale began.

• When FEAT escalated complaints to regulators, they only received replies months after the concerts concluded.

Who signed on:

• Some of the signatories are German bands Rammstein, Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen, Einstürzende Neubauten, and AnnenMayKantereit.

• Festival organizers of the Montreux Jazz Festival, Sunny Hill Festival, Sziget Festival, and Ireland’s The Big Day Out Festival have signed.

• The Czech National Theatre, Estonian Drama Theatre, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and YOUROPE – The European Festival Association, which represents 138 members from 31 countries, have also signed.

What they said:

• Sam Shemtob, MD of FEAT: “Enforcement isn’t working, and the Digital Fairness Act offers a one-off chance to specifically address the problem. The EU risks falling behind if it misses this opportunity.”