The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) has been launched to fight for fairness in the business and ensure fans are no longer exploited at the hands of scalpers. FEAT goal is to encourage any ticket resale to be done at face value, meaning that if tickets are resold, this is at no more than their original price. The original founders include legendary German promoter/manager Schumek Sabotka, Neo Sala from Doctor Music in Spain and Italian Promoter Claudio Trotter.
FEAT has been established in reaction to a dramatic rise in the amount of tickets being resold online for profit, sometimes known as secondary ticketing. Tickets are bought from a primary ticket reseller and are then sold for a heavily inflated price to the detriment of thousands of music fans. Artists, promoters and the wider music business suffers too, as these fans have less to spend on recordings, merchandise and other concerts as a result. The value of the secondary ticketing market worldwide is estimated at $8bn.
FEAT activity over the coming 12 months includes but is not limited to:
– Lobbying with EU Parliament for better legislation to protect consumers against malicious secondary ticketing practices
– Legal committee – connecting lawyers across Europe working on this issue
– Surveying & reporting – mapping and analyzing ticketing and resale legislation in each country in Europe
– Working with the live and ticketing industries to create a fairer resale environment
EMMA has decided to join and support FEAT campaign to coordinate lobbying across Europe. Individual managers can also show their support here.