- Supporting O2’s Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign, Dan Smith is rallying music fans to contribute to the consultation on the resale of live events tickets before it closes on 4th April
- With almost half of music fans who have attended live events admitting they are ‘not confident’ in identifying a ticket resale platform, O2 is launching Stamp It Tout – www.stampittout.co.uk – a new online hub designed to help fans navigate the ticket resale market safely and empower them to share their views in the consultation
- As part of its campaign, O2 is calling for a 10% price cap on resale concert tickets, to combat the £145 million touts are currently making off music fans every year
- Fans can also have their say on the future of live events at O2’s pop-up “Consultation Station”, at The O2 in London on 1st, 2nd and 3rd April
- Hi-res image available HERE
Tuesday 25 March 2025, London – Bastille frontman Dan Smith is the latest musician to join the fight to protect the music industry from professional ticket touts, urging music fans to have their say in the future of live music, as he teams up with O2 for the launch of Stamp It Tout – www.stampittout.co.uk – a new information hub created to help music fans buy gig tickets safely and without being ripped off by touts.
Dan Smith’s support comes as O2 ramps up its Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign ahead of the landmark government consultation closing on April 4th. The singer-songwriter is urging fans to share their own experiences of the ticket resale market and join the cries for change. The news follows the recent announcement of Bastille’s new tour From All Sides – Songs from The First 15 Years which will stop at The O2 on 18th November 2025. O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers can get their early access tickets via Priority from 10am on Wednesday 26th March.
The consultation was initiated by the Government in January to give industry leaders and music fans the chance to share the impact touts are currently having on people’s ability to access live events.
As well as its longstanding calls for better regulation around the resale of tickets, O2 – which sells over 1.5 million tickets per year to its customers via Priority Tickets – has created Stamp It Tout, an online hub designed to combat consumer confusion online and minimise the chance for touts to profit from genuine fans.
Research from O2 and YouGov found that almost half (48%) of music fans who have attended live events are ‘not confident’ in identifying a ticket resale platform. In addition, nearly two-thirds (62%) of music fans buying a ticket from a resale platform don’t realise they are buying it from another human being and 64% don’t realise the price they are paying is set by the individual reselling the ticket.
Stamp It Tout aims to demystify the way touts currently operate and offer music fans:
- Simple tips to help them make informed ticketing purchases and avoid being ripped off by touts
- A guide to the government’s consultation – why music fans should take part and how they can do so in a matter of minutes
- More information about the Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign so far and what this means to music fans
As well as the new information hub, O2 will deploy a “Consultation Station” at the O2 Store at The O2 in London, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd April1. The Station is a space where music fans at The O2 can easily submit their own views on ticket touting and how the government should take action. The views gathered across the three days will then form part of O2’s own response to the consultation to ensure music fans’ voices are being heard and represented.
Dan Smith is urging fans at The O2 to share their views, or alternatively, find out how they can contribute to the consultation separately via the Stamp It Tout site to ensure they can have their say and help to stamp out exploitative touts.
As well as getting thoughts from music fans directly, O2 is continuing its work with the FanFair Alliance – the UK campaign against industrial-scale online ticket touting, which O2 has been a member of since 2017 – on its recommendations to government.
With research finding that 72% of music fans believe that there should be rules against the resale of tickets for significant profits, O2 advocates introducing a 10% price cap for any tickets being resold on a resale platform. O2 believes this would go a long way in combatting the £145 million profit that touts are currently making by selling fans tickets at inflated prices, whilst ensuring no fan loses out and can recoup their money if they can no longer attend a show.
Calling on music fans to seize their chance to drive positive change via the consultation, Dan Smith shared: “Ticket touts have been ripping off music fans for way too long – like O2, I’ve been banging on about the unfairness of this for years. I’ve been frustrated to see it as someone in a band who hates our fans getting ripped off, and I’ve been frustrated to see it as a fan who goes to a lot of gigs myself. I hope the government takes notice and actually does something about it this time to stop the touts and keep tickets in the hands of genuine music fans.”
Commenting on the significance of the consultation, Gareth Griffiths, Director, Sponsorship and Partnerships at Virgin Media O2, commented: “The future of live entertainment in the UK is being decided now. For far too long, professional ticket touts have been stealing tickets out of fans’ hands. The Government has the power to stop them in their tracks and give gigs back to their rightful owners – the fans and the artists.
“Live entertainment is in O2’s DNA and we know how much it matters to our customers. We’re committed to making live shows accessible to as many people as possible and will continue to fight tirelessly to keep tickets in the hands of true fans. Now, we need fans to join the fight and help us to change the way we go to gigs forever and for the better.”
Once the consultation closes on the 4th April, the government will assess responses from fans and the music industry before determining any new rules that will come into effect. Until then, O2 will continue its work to ensure fans are armed with the information needed to help them buy tickets without being ripped off by touts.
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