Should there be a crackdown on music ticket touts?

[AB Asks]

There has been a big reaction against ticket touting at music events in recent years, with many people calling for the government to step in to help solve the problem. This in turn has, however, led to a backlash claiming that the music industry is more than capable of getting rid of touts. The problem with the issue is that a complete ban on touts would mean that music fans wouldn't be able to sell there ticket on to a friend if they weren't able to go to the gig. Do you think that there should be a clampdown on touting? Or should people be allowed to exchange their tickets if they want to?

[Reverandfunk]

Who cares? If you are a fan you get a ticket without having to go to a tout. Stopping touts would be so easy to do, book online with a mx of 4 per credit card, 4 per address, whatever. Promotors aren't fussed as long as they sell the tickets, the bands aren't bothered because they make their money through merchandising and obviously the fans can't be that bothered if they will pay 200 quid for a ticket.

[Reverandfunk]

Just reading it again, of course you can exchange a ticket with a friend or sell it to them, who would know??

[jedimistress]

What I want to know is how do the box offices justify their booking fees? A ticket never costs what it says. Metallica face value �45. How do they justify the booking fee of �6? We are being ripped off straight from the box office, never mind the touts. I have had tickets I need to offload before when people say yeah I'll come so you do all the bookings and then one by one it's "I can't make it" for various reasons. I just don't book my friends tickets anymore but...it happens. There are many reasons why people may have spare ones, deaths, relationship splits etc and you cannot send them back to the box office so what can you do?

[Vanilla Face]

A total ban wouldn't be the way to go. I think it should still be legal, but that all tickets must be sold as face value.

[THAIBUS]

The Box Office could always limit tickets to say six per person and post them to a registered address but I think as long as the show sell out that they don't care. Also it would help if the box office saved some tickets to sell on the night of a show that would stop the touts outside. Sometimes however you can pick up a bargain from the touts as I brought two Girls Aloud tickets on Ebay for �8 and had seats in row 4. But even I would not pay �350 for a Cliff Richard Ticket.

[jedimistress]

You can get great deals on ebay from touts who have misjudged & cannot get rid of the tickets. I got 2 tickets for Kings of Leon on Sunday night for �4. Nice to get a bargain from a tout. Now it seems there are more touts than buyers and it means the auction ticket prices can be less than the box office.