Jamie Webster criticises ticket resale sites: “If we don’t speak up against it, nothing will change”

nme.com:

Jamie Webster has shared a video on social media criticising ticket resale sites, former culture secretary Sajid Javid and the way politics is “entwined” with the music industry.The viral clip has been viewed almost 400,000 times across Twitter and Instagram, racked up thousands of likes on TikTok and been shared by members of Bastille.“If you’ve ever been ripped off for gig tickets, then this video is for you,” Webster began.“My two gigs at The Cavern sold out within fifteen seconds last week but then I found out they were back onsale on resale sites like Viagogo for prices up to £143.

That’s more than 3 times as much as the original ticket price (£27). It got me thinking, why hasn’t this been stopped? Why is this still going on.”A post shared by Jamie Webster (@jamiewebstermusic)Webster continued: “Turns out, in May 2014 a bill was put forward, which passed its first reading, to stop ticketing websites selling tickets on for more than 10 percent of the original face value.

Anyone who infringed on that would receive a hefty fine.“Our now Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid came out and spoke against it, he was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport back then.

He came out and said it is ‘a service that deserves to be rewarded’ so long as the original tickets have been brought legally and legitimately.”“He then came out and said ‘as someone who believes passionately in the virtues of the free market and who is on the side of the ordinary, common working man, I respectfully oppose the Bill’.