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Professor Waterson exposes a dysfunctional and under-regulated ticketing market. His review calls on Government to enforce the law, and for secondary ticketing sites to apply the law and show responsibility. Fans must have clarity and fairness.

Live music is one of the UK’s cultural ‘Crown Jewels’. According to Government data, last year 1 in 3 British adults attended a gig, festival or live performance. Fans are the lifeblood of our business.

As revealed by today’s long awaited report from Professor Michael Waterson, UK audiences are confused by the ticket-buying process. In the worst instances, they are being ripped off and sold short by industrial-scale online ticket touting.

More than 40,000 fans have already signed a petition demanding that Parliament enforce the Consumer Rights Act amendment brought in last year, providing tougher sanctions for resale websites that break the law. They also demand that ticket resellers are forced to reveal their identities.

Professor Waterson has clearly recognised these long-term failings, and makes 9 pragmatic recommendations that, if implemented, will help reform the market. We believe that fans should be given every opportunity to buy and exchange tickets at the price they were intended – not see them used as collateral to boost the profits of scalpers.

The music business has a significant role to play in driving change, and we are committed to work with partners to promote pro-consumer practices and technologies.

However, we also reiterate Professor Waterson’s call for Government to act and for secondary ticketing services to follow the law. Above all, we need a Consumer Rights Act that is fit for purpose, and to have the law on ticket resales enforced by Trading Standards.

UK audiences deserve clarity and fairness, not a dysfunctional and under-regulated secondary ticketing market that causes untold harm to our world-beating creative and cultural sector.

If you haven’t already signed the ‪#‎ToutsOut‬ petition, you can so do here and help protect music, art and sports fans from touts.

The following have signed up to this statement:

Click here to read the review on the Gov.uk’s website.