Live music professionals across Europe have teamed up to form a new anti-ticket touting organization called the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT).
Launching today at live music conference ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), FEAT will work towards securing better ticket resale practices via a continent-wide approach.
The new organization’s founding members include Spain’s Doctor Music Founder Neo Sala and Germany’s MCT-Agentur CEO Scumeck Sabottka, who will both serve as Directors.
FEAT will operate as a non-profit and will focus on the live music business, but will also build alliances with the full scope of the live entertainment industry including performing arts and sport.
The Alliance will also be headed up by Director Sam Shemtob, who has been active in the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ticket Abuse for several years, and colleagues Katie O’Leary and Dominic Athanassiou, who also participate.
FEAT’s focus includes encouraging better legislation at national and EU level, connecting live industry professionals as well as collecting data and research.
It is also already actively involved in EU parliamentary discussions on secondary ticketing.
FEAT has also been facilitating the formation of a legal group to coordinate activities on ticketing regulation and with search engines.
FEAT’s founding members include:
Ben Giezenaar – Co-Founder, Greenhouse Talent, Netherlands (Once in a Blue Moon Festival, Justin Bieber)
Kim Worsøe – Director, ICO, Denmark (The 1975, Sam Smith, Disturbed)
Neo Sala – Founder & CEO, Doctor Music, Spain (Adele, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Doctor Music Festival)
Olivier Darbois – Director, Corida, France (Christine and the Queens, Justice – produced worldwide, Kraftwerk, Radiohead – promoted France)
Pascal Van De Velde – Founder & CEO, Greenhouse Talent, Belgium & Netherlands (Elton John, Katy Perry)
Peter Aiken – Managing Director, Aiken Promotions, Ireland (Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Adele)
Philippe Cornu – Founder, wildpony, Switzerland (Muse, Rammstein)
Scumeck Sabottka – CEO, MCT-Agentur, Germany (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Lykke Li, Björk, Rammstein, Florence + the Machine)
Vincent Sager – Managing Director, Opus One, Switzerland (Arcade Fire, Iron Maiden)
Scumeck Sabottka, CEO, MCT-Agentur and FEAT Director said: “We need to get this right as otherwise fans and artists alike will be robbed by thieves; if we all pull this together and get EU legislation to follow our lead, we can ultimately make it work.”
“Governments need to understand speculative ticket resale is an abusive and unethical practice that harms people, and they need to approve laws that make it virtually impossible.”
Neo Sala, Doctor Music
Neo Sala, Founder & CEO, Doctor Music and FEAT Director, added: “Governments need to understand speculative ticket resale is an abusive and unethical practice that harms people, and they need to approve laws that make it virtually impossible.
“We need legal tools that facilitate the immediate preventive close down of websites that put tickets on sale without having been authorised by the organiser of the event.”
Sam Shemtob, FEAT Director said: “The growth and effectiveness of grassroots movements against industrial ticket touting in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland in recent years has been invigorating.
“The time has come for these these movements to connect, collaborate and speak as one at a European level, where we know MEPs are listening.”
“We need to get this right as otherwise fans and artists alike will be robbed by thieves.”
Scumeck Sabottka, MCT-Agentur
Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom & Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ticket Abuse added: “As Chair of the APPG on Ticket Abuse, I have worked on this issue in the UK for almost a decade. In 2011, I proposed a Bill which would cap ticket resale at 10% above their face value. Unfortunately, this Bill did not pass into UK Legislation.
“Since then, I have been working with my cross-party colleagues, and the sector, in order to tackle unscrupulous ticket touts in the UK, who re-sell tickets for profit. It is time for legislation that puts fans first, and I am working closely with the UK Minister to try and find a solution to this. I am pleased to support the efforts of FEAT in dealing with this across Europe.”
“The growth and effectiveness of grassroots movements against industrial ticket touting in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland in recent years has been invigorating.”
Sam Shemtob, FEAT
Per Kviman, Chair and Virpi Imonnen, Vice-Chair, European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) added: “In the last decade we’ve seen the live industry flourish, with revenues from concerts and festivals becoming the primary source of income for artists and musicians.
“But this has come at a price, and, spurred on by the rise of the internet, the secondary ticketing market has thrived, draining money away from fans, artists and the industry. It is great that FEAT has formed to enable us to work together on a European level to share experiences and knowledge and help better the market.”
“We are happy to share our experiences and support the activities of FEAT in building wider European networks and improving EU legislation.”
Adam Webb, FanFair Alliance
Adam Webb, Campaign Manager, FanFair Alliance: “The FanFair campaign has shown that legislation and regulation can have a disruptive impact on exploitative secondary ticketing and help foster a more consumer-friendly approach to ticket resale.
“There is still work to do in the UK and challenges ahead, but because of collective action the situation has improved markedly since 2016.
“Our focus will remain on these shores, but we are happy to share our experiences and support the activities of FEAT in building wider European networks and improving EU legislation.”Music Business Worldwide
