MUSIC fans must be protected from greedy ticket touts charging eye-watering prices, industry bosses have said.
The call comes after Taylor Swift fans trying to buy £110 tickets saw them on secondary sales sites for £2,600.
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Entry to a Sugababes concert rose from £81 to £177 on one website, while tickets to a Girls Aloud gig rocketed from £48.50 to £2,000.
Music industry chiefs are now calling for Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch to hold an urgent summit to crack down on unscrupulous ticket sellers.
Tom Kiehl, interim boss of UK Music, said: “We need urgent action from the Government to end the multi-million-pound scourge of rip-off ticket prices for festivals and concerts.
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“Fans are being ruthlessly exploited by touts who snap up thousands of tickets and resell them for huge profits.
“The Government should give music lovers everywhere a Christmas gift by tackling the greedy Grinch gangs that are determined to rob them of their hard-earned cash.
“We are keen to work with the Government and campaigning organisations like FanFair Alliance to look at new curbs to deal with extortionate resale prices and help protect consumers against the rip-off merchants behind this racket.
“We hope the Prime Minister will listen to our request for a meeting so we can all unite behind a plan to combat this problem and help nurture the talent pipeline on which our world-leading music industry depends.”
Adam Webb, the campaign manager for pressure group FanFair Alliance, said: “The UK is falling behind other major music markets.
“British audiences deserve better protection. Legislation is essential to stamp out unlawful and anti-consumer practices.”
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