The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
MP says ticketing is ‘rip-off machine’
SNP MP Pete Wishart has told how fans of his old band Runrig were angered after tickets for a highly-anticipated reunion show were snapped up by touts.
Runrig’s farewell show at Stirling Castle sold out in record time, but tickets soon appeared on online resale sites at greatly inflated prices.
Mr Wishart, who was the band’s keyboard player, has called on politicians to tackle secondary ticketing.
Leading a debate in Westminster, the Perth and North Perthshire MP argued that the ticketing business in the UK is “broken and beyond repair” and is a “rip-off machine”.
The industry hads become “one of the biggest consumer crises we face,” he said.
“From the first click of the mouse, music fans are exposed to any number of touts, profiteers and spivs determined to maximise their return at the expense of genuine music fans,” he said.