Musicians campaign for legislation to protect fans from ticket resale price hikes

Over 40 prominent musicians, including Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sam Fender, Radiohead, and The Cure, are urging UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to fulfill election promises and legislate protections against online ticket touts. Discontent has grown as ticket resellers systematically purchase event tickets and resell them to fans at heavily inflated prices. Research by Which? magazine reveals Oasis concert tickets listed for over £4,000, while Competition and Markets Authority analysis shows resale markups typically exceeding 50%. A potential government cap of 30% was discussed, yet no legislation has been introduced since the public consultation ended seven months ago. Countries such as Ireland and Australia already enforce resale caps, with artists and supporters arguing the UK should follow suit to prevent fans from being exploited and allow unwanted tickets to be resold at fair value. The artists’ letter, signed by PJ Harvey, Mark Knopfler, Amy MacDonald, Iron Maiden, and Nick Cave, calls for the government to urgently commit to price cap legislation in the next King’s Speech. The campaign aims not only to improve trust in the ticketing process but also to broaden public access to cultural events. Investigations by Which? and the BBC expose global ticket scalping networks and highlight ongoing difficulties for fans contacting legitimate sellers. The UK Department for Culture maintains it will clamp down on touts and unveil concrete plans shortly.