In a major stand against secondary ticketing, the entire board of the UK’s Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), have pledged their support of the Fair Ticketing Charter.
Created by the UK’s Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) in a move to keep festival tickets at affordable prices, the charter is being adopted by those across the live industry who wish to take a stand against damaging profiteering rife across the secondary ticketing market.
The following FAC board members have signed up and are in the process of inviting others to follow their lead:
Sandie Shaw
Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)
Mark Kelly (Marillion)
Hal Ritson (The Young Punx)
Crispin Hunt
Annie Lennox
Rumer
Lucy Pullin (The Fire Escapes)
Chris Difford (Squeeze)
Howard Jones
Fran Healy (Travis)
Dave Rowntree (Blur)
Kate Nash
Master Shortie
They join previous artists, promoters and festivals signatories including Radiohead, Bestival, Orbital and Secret Garden Party, bringing the total number to nearly 90. The charter, detailed below, sets out a position demands secondary ticket sellers cease selling tickets for signatory’s events,
Exposed Channel 4’s Dispatches, the secondary ticketing market has been attempting to cloak and legitimise touting, while undermining much of the live sector’s attempts to offer quality entertainment at reasonable prices.
“It is time the music business stands united on this issue and this huge statement from FAC is a massive boost to the millions of music fans out there who are being misled by many promoters from around the world,” AIF co-founder and vice chair, Ben Turner, said.
The Fair Ticketing Charter
We the undersigned believe that the growth of ticket-touting online – so-called ‘secondary ticketing’ – is bad for fans and bad for live entertainment.
- Ticket touting means real fans are deprived of the opportunity to attend events and see artists they love while speculators cash in.
- We believe there are strong arguments for legislation to curb the activities of unofficial ticket-sellers.
- Until such legislation is enacted we believe the entire Live Entertainment Industry should further increase its efforts to protect fans.
- We affirm that we will be transparent with the pricing and distribution of tickets for events that we control.
- We restate our commitment to adopting ticketing processes and technologies which ensure tickets reach the hands of real fans rather than touts.
- We call on secondary ticket sellers to cease and desist selling tickets for events we control.
- We call on consumers to boycott ticket touts.
General Industry Signatories:
13 Artists
A Greener Festival
Association of Independent Festivals
Association of Festival Organisers
Bristol Ticket Shop
Chambers Management (promoter of comedy talent and mgr. of Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle and Jack Whitehall)
Coda Agency
Crowd Surge
Dawson Breed Music
eFestivals
Festaxis
Festival UK
Free Trade Agency
Gotye
Graphite Media
Hospital Records
ID&C
John Fairs
JCF Management
Name PR
Ninja Tune
Orbital
Portishead
Radiohead
Rob da Bank
Sandbag
Skiddle
Sunday Best Recordings
Value Added Talent
Wikifestivals
Wildlife Entertainment (rep. Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane)
We Got Tickets
XRay Touring
FAC Board member Signatories:
Sandie Shaw
Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)
Mark Kelly (Marillion)
Hal Ritson (The Young Punx)
Crispin Hunt
Annie Lennox
Rumer
Lucy Pullin (The Fire Escapes)
Chris Difford (Squeeze)
Howard Jones
Fran Healy (Travis)
Dave Rowntree (Blur)
Kate Nash
Master Shortie
AIF Member Signatories:
Bearded Theory Festival |
Beat-Herder Festival |
Belladrum Tartan Heart |
Bestival |
Bingley Music Live |
Cornbury Festival |
Camp Bestival |
Deer Shed Festival |
Eden Sessions |
End of the Road Festival |
Evolution Festival |
Field Day |
Folk on the Water |
Glade |
Glasgowbury Festival |
Glastonbudget Festival |
Greenbelt Festival |
Green Man |
In the Woods Festival |
Kendal Calling |
Leefest London Summer Jam |
The Magic Loungeabout |
Meltdown Festival |
Nozstock: The Hidden Valley Festival |
No Direction Home |
Outside:Inside Festival |
Secret Garden Party |
Shambala Festival |
Summer Sundae Weekender |
Stockton Weekender |
SWN Festival |
The London Green Fair |
The Applecart |
Tramlines |
Truck |
Underage |
WOMAD |
Y-Not Festival |