ONE of Scotland’s biggest music promoters fears a government crackdown on ticket touts will lack the rigor to stamp out the lucrative trade.
DF Concerts - organisers of T in the Park - have cast doubt on the UK government's readiness to move against second-hand ticket sales as a watchdog launches an investigation into the industry.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that concert goers should be warned by anyone who sells on tickets - either fellow music fans or established companies - that they could face being turned away at the venue for buying from the secondary market.
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It comes as it launched an investigation into ticketing activity that may breach consumer laws amid increasing scrutiny of the industry by MPs concerned about the inflated prices at which tickets were being sold.
But DF Concerts have been questioning whether the UK government will take enough action to tackle black market tickets having resisted legislation in the past.
A spokesman for the firm said chief executive Geoff Ellis "doesn’t hold out much hope of any legislation changing under the UK government".
New laws against ticket touts were ruled out by the government in 2008, with event organisers and promoters instead asked to agree to a voluntary code.
The issue of reselling secondhand tickets came to a head before Great Britain's Davis Cup semi final against Australia featuring Andy Murray last year at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow with touts asking for up to £1399 - over 14 times their original face value.
The Lawn Tennis Association warned disgruntled fans that it had the legal right to void hundreds of tickets that were being resold and were not bought from their official agent.
But Ticketmaster which ran two of the resale sites criticised by fans, Seatwave and Get Me In say the Consumer Rights Act "makes it clear that the secondary market is legitmate" and warned that if event organisers cancel tickets just because they have been resold, they were potentially in breach of the law.
CMA's guidance on the unfair terms provisions in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 states that the re-selling of tickets remains permitted, and says any organiser's term or condition which undermines a consumer's right to sell what they own risks being seen as unfair.
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In the last year alone, Scottish fans have been enraged as tickets they were unable to secure through normal channels have appeared swiftly on resale sites such as Get Me In and Seatwave owned by Ticketmaster and StubHub, owned by eBay.
Earlier this month hundreds of tickets to see Adele in concert next summer appeared on resale websites for up to £9,000 each.
Adele's 26,000-seat Hydro show in Glasgow in March this year sold out within two minutes.
The owners of the SECC and the Hydro in Glasgow which introduced paperless tickets for the Biffy Clyro at the end of November, believes that might help tackle the problem.
“We are part of an industry that recognises that there is a need for a resale market so as a venue we welcome any initiatives that provide transparency for fans," said a Scottish Exhibition Centre Limited spokeswoman.
"One area we are moving more and more into is paperless ticketing if and when this can be agreed by a promoter and artists.
"This acts as a great deterrence as customers are not issued with a ticket in advance and will only gain entry on the night by having the payment card used to make the purchase as well as being asked for photographic ID to validate their booking.
"As far as individuals looking to resale tickets due to for example, not being able to attend an event there is little we can do to prevent this taking place. People are within their rights to sell on their ticket.”
Citizens Advice Scotland consumer spokesman Fraser Sutherland said: "We need to ensure that consumers have more information about items they are purchasing, and more protection when things go wrong."
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The new CMA "enforcement investigation" will look at seller information, any connections the seller has with the event organisers and whether there are any restrictions on the use of resold tickets which could result in a person being denied access to an event.
Andrea Coscelli, CMA acting chief executive, said: "A night out at a concert or a trip to a big match is something that millions of people look forward to.
"So it's important they know who they are buying from and whether there are any restrictions that could stop them using the ticket."
"It is essential that those consumers who buy tickets from the secondary market are made aware if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door."
Ticketmaster came under fire in December, last year after tickets for Justin Bieber's October shows in Glasgow became available on its resale site at up to four times their face value within half an hour of going on general sale.
The probe will also take into account where a seat is located in the venue and consider whether both businesses selling tickets and the secondary ticketing platforms advertising them are failing to provide the full range of information.
"If we find breaches of consumer law, we will take enforcement action," the CMA warned.
Earlier this year, the CMA carried out an initial review of the four main secondary ticketing websites - Get Me In, Seatwave, StubHub and Viagogo - to ensure they improve the information provided about tickets advertised on their sites.
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The CMA said on Monday that one website was not fully complying with their undertaking and it is actively pursuing it to ensure obligations are met "in full".
The UK Government published its Consumer Rights Act review in May, which called for ticket sites to take more action to prevent touts harvesting tickets.
The review encourages more sellers to introduce ID requirements, praising Glastonbury's ticketing model, where tickets are "deliberately personalised" and ID is checked at the gates.
But T in the Park organisers had said this method would result in long queues at major events and would "upset the customer".
A Ticketmaster spokesperson: “Ticketmaster has always championed transparency and consumer protection within the UK ticketing industry and we welcome this latest clarification from the CMA.
There are many challenges with the Consumer Rights Act, so we will continue to work with the CMA to ensure we are providing the best possible experience for fans.”
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