The manager of the Arctic Monkeys has said he wants to see the UK government shut down controversial resale site Viagogo, stating that “enough is enough.”
According to the Scottish Daily Record, Ian McAndrew expressed his disdain for Viagogo after it was found to be the only resale site to list tickets to the indie giants’ sold-our tour. 
McAndrew said, according to the Daily Record: “I don’t know how Viagogo are allowed to operate. They are ignoring efforts to clean up the shop and should be shut down in my view.
“The Parliament’s culture, media and sport select committee on ticket abuse tried to get them in but they didn’t show up.
“They have total contempt for the law and I think enough’s enough.
“The Government should see there’s enough evidence to justify disconnecting Viagogo from the system. They should not be functioning as a business in this country.”
Competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), announced in November that it was taking enforcement action against secondary ticketing websites suspected of breaking consumer law.
McAndrew, who is one of the founding members of anti-touting campaign group FanFair Alliance, said he thinks large venues could be the answer.
He said: “Venues are at the root of the problem as they form exclusive deals with primary sellers, meaning some of the most ethical agents are denied access to the market. Tickets then tend to end up on the secondary market.”
He also added that an industry-wide digital ticketing system could be the solution.
The Arctic Monkeys manager said: “For instance, say I’m running a show at the Hydro in Glasgow and want to bring in a mobile phone ticketing firm. Every ticket would connect to a phone and when you turn up, you run it through a scanner and in you go.
“If you can’t go to the gig, send the ticket back and get a refund to your bank account and let the seller sell it again.
“Fans wouldn’t have to pay for postage or booking fees. It could all be done on one hub.
“It’s strange because we make technology work well for us – there are a million apps for our phones – but don’t seem willing or able to make it work in ticketing.”
Image: Bill Ebbesen
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