A recent survey conducted by TicketSwap reveals discontent among music fans who can no longer afford to see their favourite performers live.
42% of survey responders said they are put off from purchasing tickets because of scalpers pushing the price up, whereas 87% of respondents believe that ticket resale prices should be capped.
7 in 10 people have paid over face value for tickets and 45% stated they were prepared to pay 20% over face value and 14% of committed fans and event-goers are prepared to pay a sizeable 50% over face value.
Even though fans are able to pay over the original ticket price for tickets to sold-out shows, 42% said they are now put off from purchasing tickets because of scalpers pushing the price up, but for some resale tickets prove too high: with 30% of responders stating they wouldn’t buy resale due to them being too expensive.
There has been an overwhelming call for a price cap implementation across the board, the survey results also reflect the negative public opinion towards dynamic pricing, a process in which ticketing sites can raise prices based on demand.
69% of respondents revealed they do not understand what dynamic pricing is. Once the concept was explained, 60% said they believe that dynamic pricing is unfair with just 3.6% of people in the UK agreeing with the process.
Acting as a deterrent for music fans is the issue of fraud, an overwhelming 70% of responders said they would no longer consider buying a ticket on resale due to the risk of it being a scam and the ticket being invalid. Where 49% of responders have already fallen victim of ticket resale fraud themselves or know someone who has.
Mike Robinson, UK Lead at TicketSwap, commented on the results: “These findings are alarming, yet not surprising in this inflated ticketing landscape. While small, intimate events are usually cheaper in price, smaller venues could struggle to survive if the price of secondary tickets is not better regulated. This is where we can change things in the UK and offer an easy-to-use ticket resale platform that operates credibly, ethically and fairly, for music fans, promoters and venue owners alike.”
