UK Music has welcomed the government’s commitment in its Digital Economy Bill to ban computer software enabling bulk ticket buying for live gigs.
The amendment to the bill will allow the authorities to make using the so-called bot technology a criminal offence when it comes to ticket purchases.
There will now be an unlimited fine for breaking the law in this way. Bots allow the touts to bypass any security measures and purchase hundreds of tickets as soon as they go on sale before they appear on resale sits at inflated prices.
Jo Dipple, UK Music chief executive, said: ‘UK Music is pleased that government is responding to industry representations and is now acting on the recommendations of the Waterson review.
‘The use of ‘bots’ to bulk-buy tickets amounts to industrial-scale touting. Massive profit is made by people who are taking value out of the music industry and putting tickets out of the reach of music fans. Banning bots is a step towards ensuring the ticketing market for live events works more fairly for gig-goers.’
The government says the move is part of its wider drive to ensure genuine fans are not losing out in the secondary ticketing market, and it is accepting the recommendations of a review into secondary ticketing by Professor Michael Waterson.
Visit the UK Music website to find out more.
The amendment to the bill will allow the authorities to make using the so-called bot technology a criminal offence when it comes to ticket purchases.
There will now be an unlimited fine for breaking the law in this way. Bots allow the touts to bypass any security measures and purchase hundreds of tickets as soon as they go on sale before they appear on resale sits at inflated prices.
Jo Dipple, UK Music chief executive, said: ‘UK Music is pleased that government is responding to industry representations and is now acting on the recommendations of the Waterson review.
‘The use of ‘bots’ to bulk-buy tickets amounts to industrial-scale touting. Massive profit is made by people who are taking value out of the music industry and putting tickets out of the reach of music fans. Banning bots is a step towards ensuring the ticketing market for live events works more fairly for gig-goers.’
The government says the move is part of its wider drive to ensure genuine fans are not losing out in the secondary ticketing market, and it is accepting the recommendations of a review into secondary ticketing by Professor Michael Waterson.
Visit the UK Music website to find out more.
