More than 130 figures from across the European live events industry have signed an open letter urging EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath to take action against unauthorized ticket resale.
The coalition is urging the Commissioner to revisit and expand the scope of the Digital Fairness Act – known as the DFA, a European Commission legislative proposal aiming to update consumer protection – to directly tackle industrial-scale ticket scalping, which they say continues to harm fans and undermine the live events ecosystem across Europe. The letter can be read in full here.
The signatories span artists, managers, agents, festivals, venues and industry bodies. They include managers representing Ed Sheeran, Nick Cave, Oasis and Radiohead, alongside prominent German bands such as Rammstein, AnnenMayKantereit and Die Toten Hosen. Agents for artists including Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C., Gorillaz, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Lorde, Olivia Dean and Sam Smith and more have also added their support.
Major European cultural institutions and festivals are also backing the call, among them the Montreux Jazz Festival and Sziget Festival, as well as venues and ensembles ranging from the Czech National Theatre and Estonian Drama Theatre to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
The letter has received further support from European festival association YOUROPE, the Sports Rights Owners Coalition and the Association of Independent Music Ireland.
According to industry group Face-Value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), across Europe, unauthorized resale platforms are estimated to generate around €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) annually. These sites often sell tickets at vastly inflated prices, with buyers frequently discovering tickets are fake, duplicated, sold before official release, or invalid under event terms and conditions.
In a statement, FEAT managing director Sam Shemtob said that the breadth of support for the letter reflects the scale of the problem. “World-famous German metal pioneers Rammstein have joined forces with Hungary’s Mesebolt Puppet Theatre, national sports bodies and representatives of some of the biggest stars in music to tell the EU that action is needed on unauthorized ticket resale,” he said.
“Enforcement isn’t working, and the Digital Fairness Act offers a one-off chance to specifically address the problem. The EU risks falling behind if it misses this opportunity.”
YOUROPE chairman Christof Huber echoed those concerns, adding: “For years, platform operators with unfair and harmful business models have been taking advantage of our fans and customers. Yet we do not have the tools at our disposal to confront [ticket resale site] Viagogo and co. in the way we would like to.
“As a representative of festivals across the continent, YOUROPE calls on the European Commission to act in the interest of those who guarantee millions in honest tax revenue and work for thousands of creative professionals and artists.”
The Digital Fairness Act, which is still being consulted on, is separate from the Digital Services Act. The Digital Services Act entered into force in 2022, taking full effect across all EU member states two years later, and sets out obligations for online platforms to protect users from violations of their rights.