The music industry campaign FanFair Alliance (FFA) was established in 2016 to tackle industrial-scale online ticket touting, and its new guidance aims to help artists and managers stop exploitative secondary ticketing.
The FFA guide outlines and champions the use of simplified terms and conditions which promote ‘consumer only’ ticket sale and ‘consumer friendly’ resale.
The guidance can be downloaded here and is backed by the Music Managers Forum (MMF).
It recommends that artists, event organisers and venues make two clear statements in their Terms and Conditions of sale:
1. That tickets are for consumers only to purchase.
2. That audiences are permitted to resell tickets to the price they paid or less, and that a consumer-friendly resale or reallocation mechanism is provided.
FanFair’s guide has been developed alongside the new model resale T&Cs published by the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR), which it fully supports.
The campaign is advocating these cost-free measures as a means to empower a wider range of acts to prevent the exploitation of artist’ audiences and to promote fairer ticket resale practices.
The publication follows major progress made by FanFair Alliance and its supporters, and backed by a range of political and regulatory actions, to resolve the issues facing the UK’s secondary ticketing market.
Earlier this year, following a long-running CMA investigation, secondary ticketing sites like Viagogo and Stubub are now obliged to provide customers with detailed information about their listed tickets.
Additionally, Fanfair Alliance’s complaints were upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority against the practice of ‘drip pricing’ by secondary platforms and following the campaign’s research Google announced a global suspension of Viagogo’s search advertising.
FanFair Alliance have also welcomed a new wave of consumer friendly resale services including Twickets, DICE, Resident Advisor, AXA, Skiddle, Eventim, See Tickets, Ticketline and Ticketmaster.
Adam Webb, campaign manager, FanFair Alliance, says: ‘The message from audiences remains pretty clear and consistent. They’re still sick of exploitative online ticket touts, and they expect artists, event organisers and venues to do something about it.
‘And here’s the good news: they can. The UK is now leading the way in the fightback against unscrupulous secondary ticketing practices. Artists have been empowered to take action.’
‘There’s a number of strategies they can pursue, but the no-cost recommendations in this guidance are open to all. As well as disrupting the practices of dedicated touts, our aim is that they will help promote a fairer and more transparent ticketing market.’
Annabella Coldrick, chief executive, MMF, adds: ‘Artists and their teams now have real power to take back control of their ticket prices by using simple T&Cs and offering consumer-friendly resale to fans. MMF urges all managers to read this guide and use it.’
Jonathan Brown, chief executive, STAR, comments: ‘Restrictions on unauthorised ticket resale need to be balanced with an opportunity for consumers to dispose of tickets they are unable to use. Utilising good, authorised resale systems and implementing fair terms and conditions helps to combat unwanted excesses in the secondary ticket market. STAR members are committed to helping promoters and managers ensure that consumers are protected and treated fairly.’
The FFA guide outlines and champions the use of simplified terms and conditions which promote ‘consumer only’ ticket sale and ‘consumer friendly’ resale.
The guidance can be downloaded here and is backed by the Music Managers Forum (MMF).
It recommends that artists, event organisers and venues make two clear statements in their Terms and Conditions of sale:
1. That tickets are for consumers only to purchase.
2. That audiences are permitted to resell tickets to the price they paid or less, and that a consumer-friendly resale or reallocation mechanism is provided.
FanFair’s guide has been developed alongside the new model resale T&Cs published by the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR), which it fully supports.
The campaign is advocating these cost-free measures as a means to empower a wider range of acts to prevent the exploitation of artist’ audiences and to promote fairer ticket resale practices.
The publication follows major progress made by FanFair Alliance and its supporters, and backed by a range of political and regulatory actions, to resolve the issues facing the UK’s secondary ticketing market.
Earlier this year, following a long-running CMA investigation, secondary ticketing sites like Viagogo and Stubub are now obliged to provide customers with detailed information about their listed tickets.
Additionally, Fanfair Alliance’s complaints were upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority against the practice of ‘drip pricing’ by secondary platforms and following the campaign’s research Google announced a global suspension of Viagogo’s search advertising.
FanFair Alliance have also welcomed a new wave of consumer friendly resale services including Twickets, DICE, Resident Advisor, AXA, Skiddle, Eventim, See Tickets, Ticketline and Ticketmaster.
Adam Webb, campaign manager, FanFair Alliance, says: ‘The message from audiences remains pretty clear and consistent. They’re still sick of exploitative online ticket touts, and they expect artists, event organisers and venues to do something about it.
‘And here’s the good news: they can. The UK is now leading the way in the fightback against unscrupulous secondary ticketing practices. Artists have been empowered to take action.’
‘There’s a number of strategies they can pursue, but the no-cost recommendations in this guidance are open to all. As well as disrupting the practices of dedicated touts, our aim is that they will help promote a fairer and more transparent ticketing market.’
Annabella Coldrick, chief executive, MMF, adds: ‘Artists and their teams now have real power to take back control of their ticket prices by using simple T&Cs and offering consumer-friendly resale to fans. MMF urges all managers to read this guide and use it.’
Jonathan Brown, chief executive, STAR, comments: ‘Restrictions on unauthorised ticket resale need to be balanced with an opportunity for consumers to dispose of tickets they are unable to use. Utilising good, authorised resale systems and implementing fair terms and conditions helps to combat unwanted excesses in the secondary ticket market. STAR members are committed to helping promoters and managers ensure that consumers are protected and treated fairly.’
