Bdv, the German promoter’s association, has kicked off an anti-resale market campaign, while it is also moving to sue Viagogo for damages.
The campaign is called “Nein zum Ticketschwarzmarkt,” which translates along the lines of, “say ‘no’ to the black market for tickets.”
The campaign is reportedly looking to inform the public about the “risks” of buying resold tickets. The association will be placing a new logo on concert tickets, posters, and artist websites to indicate primary sources.
According to a statement released by bdv, tickets for major concerts, football games and other events are increasingly being bought on the secondary market, where a 250-per-cent mark-up on the ticket’s face value “are no exception.”
Bdv lists secondary sites such as StubHub, Ticketbande and Viagogo as the main channels used in Germany.
The statement also said that in addition to paying inflated prices for a ticket, customers are often misled and given worse seats than initially indicated or even invalid tickets.
Bdv legal advisor Johannes Ulbricht said the association has been “fighting against this growing ulcer of the events industry for years. But since most secondary market agents online remain anonymous or are based abroad, they can hardly be held accountable,” Pollstar reports.
The association revealed it would be lobbying on behalf of its members to get a price cap law passed that would place a 25 per cent limit on the mark-up that can be charged for tickets on the secondary market.
“In the case of Viagogo, we’re currently preparing action for damages,” said the association’s president Jens Michow (pictured).
Image: Klaus Westermann
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