As tickets for Ed Sheeran’s latest Mathematics tour went on sale at the weekend, the British singer songwriter has pushed tough new rules to crack down on ticket touting.
For 2022, fans of Ed Sheeran that wish to attend the tour will have to accompany the person that bought the ticket, even if that person is not entering to watch the show.
Fans have also been advised to set up an account with the official ticket retailers before purchasing their ticket.
Sheeran’s website stated: “We are working hard to do everything we can to make sure that tickets only end up in the hands of genuine fans.
“The promoters of Ed Sheeran are committed to combating unethical secondary ticketing and resale. For the 2022 tour we will be operating a new mobile digital ticket sold only via our approved outlets.”
It also stated: “The matching ID of the surname of the lead booker will be an entry requirement, the other tickets bought by that person can be for other people as as they all arrive with the lead booker. If you want to buy as gifts then you’ll also have to attend to get your recipients into the show.”
Secondary ticket retailer viagogo has voiced its displeasure at the measures that have been put in place for the upcoming tour. Speaking to Chronicle Live, viagogo’s Cris Miller said: “Limiting ticket purchases or resale to a few platforms and enforcing the personalisation of tickets only serves to benefit the event organiser financially, at the same time it severely inconveniences fans.
“Given the current pandemic climate and inevitable risks associated with holding mass events, even into 2022, there needs to be more flexibility in the ticketing process, not less. Restrictions on Ed Sheeran ticket resale are clearly displayed to buyers on the viagogo platform throughout the purchasing process, and as always, tickets listed on the platform are covered by the viagogo guarantee.”
Ed Sheeran and his team have been extremely vocal over the years in their efforts to tackle ticket touts. Stuart Camp, Sheeran’s manager, also spoke in court about his stance against resale prices, in a trial of Peter Hunter and David Smith.
The pair had traded as Ticket Wiz and BZZ using secondary ticketing websites viagogo and StubHub and were charged with fraudulent trading related to ticketing.
Hunter was jailed for four years and Smith was given a 30-month custodial sentence.
Image: Drew de F Fawkes/(CC BY 2.0)/Edited for size
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