Touts in US, Latvia and Germany selling Manchester gig tickets

Touts in the US, Latvia and Germany are reported to have been behind the majority of 1,600 tickets for gigs in Greater Manchester being sold at hugely inflated prices.

Campaigners at FanFair Alliance said they found tickets for almost 300 events across 13 venues in Manchester, Salford and Stockport were being touted on Viagogo.

The investigation looked at ticket prices for 13 Greater Manchester venues including Band On The Wall, Gorilla, Night & Day Cafe, The Star & Garter, YES, Rebellion, New Century and The White Hotel.

A Viagogo spokesman said the research was based on listing prices not final sale prices, adding that the company "takes its obligations under the law seriously".

The FanFair investigation found the three touts in the US, Latvia and Germany were responsible for over 75% of more than 1,600 tickets listed for resale on the site, all of which were advertised at significantly over the cost price.

The most expensive ticket listed was £5,899 for Mica Millar's show at New Century - a 19,728% mark-up.

Tickets to a 40th anniversary celebration of The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead, featuring a conversation between the band's drummer Mike Joyce and producer Stephen Street, also at the New Century, were being touted for £549 each.

The investigation found other tickets were listed in breach of UK consumer law, with bogus details and seller information.

Joyce said: "Manchester earned its reputation as one of the world's great music cities through its venues, its artists and the fans who support them, not through ticket touts looking to make a quick profit.

"Seeing tickets for shows being resold for thousands of pounds is outrageous. Fans pay more, artists gain nothing, and venues see none of the benefit.

"That's not supporting live music, it's taking money away from the scene that made Manchester what it is."

Gareth Griffiths, director of partnerships and sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, said: "This new research shows just how insidious the ticket touting problem is and that no venue or show is immune to the harm it causes."

He said Manchester was one of the greatest music cities in the world and "its health and growth should not be compromised by offshore traders who are sucking money out of the city's live economy and care only about lining their own pockets".

Griffiths called on the government to "act quickly and ban ticket touting once and for all".

O2 research also found tickets for 2027 Manchester arena tours, including Tame Impala and Gracie Abrams, being listed on uncapped resale websites at more than 1,000% above face value, while tickets for artists including Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal were priced at almost £6,000 each.

Tinie Tempah said: "Seeing tickets for my Manchester show being resold for nearly £6,000 each is crazy.

"That's not what live music is about."

He added: "At a time when emerging artists and grassroots venues are working harder than ever to survive, it's sad to see money being siphoned away by people who contribute nothing to live music but are happy to profit from it.

"Fans deserve better."

FanFair Alliance campaign manager Adam Webb said ticket touts were typically attracted to large, high-demand shows like those held in big venues and arenas but this new research demonstrated how events taking place in independent and grassroots venues were also being targeted.

"What we're seeing in Manchester is literally the tip of the iceberg, and being replicated at small-scale shows across the UK, Europe and the US," Webb said.

"We urge the prime minister to make good on his government's promise to put fans first and end this industrial-scale rip-off."

A Viagogo spokesman said FanFair Alliance had drawn conclusions from listing prices instead of final sale prices, which included tickets sold as low as £16 for these events.

It said its policies prohibited speculative listings.

"Presenting figures in this way is misleading and gives a distorted picture of what fans actually choose to pay," he said.

He said the highest prices seen on the platform had not sold yet, and inflated ticket listings were not likely to sell at any point.

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