The Great Ticket Scandal - Help to stop touting!

Any of you who have the slightest interest in attending music events need to read this post and take action.

I, like many have tried to buy tickets for big music events only to find that they have sold out almost instantly. I have then checked 'fan-fan' ticket sales sites and seen that they have countless tickets for the event already on sale for double or triple face value. These sites (eg Viagogo / Seatwave) claim to be a platform for fans who buy tickets and then can't attend the events so need to move the tickets on, so how can they have these tickets so soon?

The answer is that the event organisers, such as LiveNation and SJM are actually sending ticket allocations to these sites to sell on. In many cases, these allocations are in the best sections possible where genuine fans would love to sit/stand. Viagogo and Seatwave then take 10-15% of the sale price plus their own fees and the rest goes back to LiveNation abd SJM as a tidy bit of profit! Not only that but Viagogo and Seatwave also have stacks of credit cards registered to different addresses that they use to buy tickets as soon as they go on sale purely to sell on at huge profit!
 

I know about this because last night (Thurs), Channel 4 ran a Dispatches special on it called 'The Great Ticket Scandal'
You can watch the full episode (or just enough to boil your blood) here :
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-108/episode-1

So if this has infurated you as much as me then here's how you can take action. Surely any music fan will want to have their say on this.

Sign the petition set up by Coldplay fans after they had similar experiences when their 02 Arena date sold out instantly and then appeared on those sites :
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/8419

Sharon Hodgson MP has already tried to get a bill passed where tickets could only be sold at a maximum of 10% above face value, taking away the profit margin for these glorified touts. Typically, she was 'talked out' by opposition Conservative MPs so never got heard!
Visit her page here to keep up with latest events, to offer support and to pick up a template letter to send to your own MP:
[ur]http://www.sharonhodgson.org/ticket-touting-private-members-bill[/url]

More links and information including the companies to send abuse to here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/the-great-ticket-scandal-related-links

Towards the end of the Dispateches episode where they send people undercover at these companies, a Viagogo manager is questioned about the proposed law to cap selling prices and in front of his entire staff, the smug b***ard says that this is threatened in every country they operate in and nothing will ever get done.
Let's push this so that 'Rip Off Britain is the first one to screw these wankers over and get a fair deal for genuine fans!

* The investigation has found no evidence that artists are aware of these practices *

Nice one Rep!

This kind of sh*t has being going on for too long now and time and time again, we keep hearing that something will be done about it but, still it continues.

I hate to see music and its supporters getting ripped off like this.

I saw this program and was disgusted by this practice.

e-petition? Why is this needed, the government could stop this in an instant, but no.

Thankfully I use Ticketmaster.

Exactly, the answer is so simple as well:

Sharon Hodgson MP has already tried to get a bill passed where tickets could only be sold at a maximum of 10% above face value, taking away the profit margin for these glorified touts.

Would that really be so hard to implement? Would anybody lose out other than those wishing to cash in by stitching others up? No.

Well, I have my Bruno Mars Tickets, Now should I sell them for over 1000% profit as some abhorrent individuals are doing.

Totally unbelievable this is STILL allowed to go on.