The All Japan Concert and Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (ACPC) has called for an overhaul of the Japanese ticketing system.
The Japanese promoters’ association issued a statement titled ‘Ticket Integrity’ calling for a “fairer secondary ticketing infrastructure.”
This comes just two months after laws that prohibit ticket reselling in Japan came into force. Passed by Japan’s parliament last December, the legislation outlaws a number of actions in a bid to curb ticket scalping before the 2020 Olympics. These include the acquisition of tickets for the purpose of scalping and resale of tickets for sports events and concerts for more than the purchase price.
Those who break the law face up to a year in prison, a fine of up to 1 million yen (£7,300/$9,200), or both.
ACPC said it sees the secondary ticketing market as one of the industry’s “most pressing issues”, as the resale market gets set to reach almost $15.2bn by 2020.
The statement said: “Ticket touting will not disappear tomorrow. From better education for consumers to strong enforcement, we will tackle the issue from all angles to help establish a fair ticketing system that truly puts fans first.”
ACPC chair Takeo Nakanishi commends the work that the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) is doing “to encourage better legislation in Europe”, adding that the goal is to establish “a healthy ticketing system worldwide”.
In response, FEAT director Sam Shemtob said the anti-tout alliance “support(s) the ACPC in their work towards preventing ticket touting in Japan at this pivotal time, and are delighted by the impact new anti-touting legislation will no doubt have.
“We are confident that, as the live events industry and governments work together, a fairer ticket resale market can be achieved globally.”
Image: Martin Fisch
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