Pop Stars Call on UK Government to Cap Resale Prices for Fans

Published: 13 November 2025 | The English Chronicle Desk | The English Chronicle Online

Pop stars including Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sam Fender, Radiohead and The Cure have joined forces to urge UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to fulfil his election pledge to protect fans from online ticket touts.

More than 40 musicians have signed a letter calling on the government to “stop touts from fleecing fans” and implement a cap on the price at which tickets can be resold. The move follows widespread complaints from fans that tickets for popular events are being bought up on the primary market and resold at inflated prices.

The government launched a public consultation on the issue in January, promising to tackle touts who “systematically buy tickets and resell them at often hugely inflated prices.” However, seven months after the consultation closed, no legislation has been introduced.

Research from Which? magazine highlighted the severity of the issue, revealing that tickets for Oasis at Wembley Stadium this summer were listed for up to £4,442. Analysis from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also found that tickets sold on the resale market are typically marked up by more than 50%. The government had previously suggested a price cap of up to 30%.

Dan Smith of indie-pop group Bastille criticised the lack of action, saying it “seems crazy” that fans remain unprotected from price hikes while countries such as Ireland and Australia have already introduced caps. He added that widespread support from artists could help ensure genuine fans are able to resell unwanted tickets at their original price.

A spokesperson for the Department for Culture said: “This government is fully committed to clamping down on touts and is going further to put fans back at the heart of live events. We have carefully considered evidence provided in response to our consultation earlier this year and will set out our plans shortly.” The consultation also proposed limiting the number of tickets resellers can offer.

In the joint letter, artists including PJ Harvey, Mark Knopfler, Amy MacDonald, Iron Maiden and Nick Cave joined consumer organisations urging the government to respond quickly and commit to including legislation on a price cap in the next King’s Speech. They argued that such a move would “restore faith in the ticketing system” and “help democratise public access to the arts.”

The concerns are echoed internationally, as Which? found prolific ticket sellers in Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, Spain and the US bulk-buying tickets for popular events before reselling them at inflated prices on sites such as StubHub and Viagogo. A BBC investigation earlier this year revealed teams of overseas workers buying tickets in bulk for UK concerts to resell at a profit.

The CMA highlighted that fans often struggle to identify sellers or contact them, despite a 2018 court order requiring Viagogo to reveal the identities of traders. Which? also found evidence of speculative selling, where tickets are listed for resale even though the seller has not yet purchased them.

Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at Which?, said the statement by artists and fan organisations “makes clear that artists, fan organisations and consumers reject the broken ticketing market that has allowed touts to thrive for too long.”

Resale platforms like Viagogo and StubHub have argued that price caps could push fans towards unregulated sites or social media, increasing the risk of fraud. A similar black market exists in Premier League football, where resales are prohibited to maintain stadium segregation, with some tickets reportedly exchanging hands for tens of thousands of pounds.

The push by artists and consumer groups underscores the urgency of reforming the ticketing system to ensure fair access and protect fans from exploitative practices.