Industry News

Ticket Zone joins Fan Fair Alliance in fight against touts

Ticketing platform Ticket Zone has linked up with FanFair Alliance, the anti-touting campaign group, to rally against ticketing industrial-scale online scalping.

The company has signed FanFair’s declaration against online ticket fraud, in which the campaign takes action to put face-value tickets in the hands of true fans.

“This is a really important issue. With over 35 years in the industry we have seen industrial-scale touting rise over the past few years,” said Wayne Munday, chief operating officer for Ticket Zone.

“As an industry, it’s really important we work together to make the ticketing market more transparent and fairer. Joining FanFair Alliance will help us to achieve that aim,” Munday added.

Earlier in the year, FanFair questioned ticketing giant Ticketmaster’s commitment to holding professional touts to the same strict purchasing limits that are imposed on ordinary fans.

FanFair said it was sceptical that Ticketmaster was doing enough to counter touts since its subsidiary resale companies stand to profit from sales by those who skirt the boundaries.

FanFair Alliance said: “This looks like one rule for fans, and another for professional touts – with a network of third-party businesses able to bulk-buy tickets above the stated limits, and then resell on secondary at inflated prices.”

In addition, the campaign lashed out at StubHub’s sponsorship of the 2016 Q Awards, claiming the company was trying to “buy legitimacy.”

Pop star Ed Sheeran showed his support for Fan Fair Alliance by backing its ticket-buying guide that urges music fans to avoid using secondary ticket sites such as Stubhub and Viagogo.

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