Little Mix and Mumford & Sons urge fans to stand up against ticket touts

Little Mix and Mumford & Sons have told music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts.
Little Mix (left to right) Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson as the group are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.Little Mix (left to right) Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson as the group are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.
Little Mix (left to right) Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson as the group are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.

The rock and pop stars, using the hashtag "#ToutsOut," have called on music fans to sign a petition so that tougher penalties for touts can be debated in Parliament.

They are hoping that public support will give them 100,000 signatures for a debate to be held about tougher sanctions for resale websites and to force ticket resellers to reveal their identities.

Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.
Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.

More than 12,000 people have signed the petition.

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Mumford & Sons issued a passionate message on their website which directs to the petition.

They said: "If getting onstage is one of the best things about being a musician, seeing your audience get ripped off is undoubtedly the worst.

"At M&S HQ we try hard to ensure that true fans have the best opportunity of getting into shows, at the right price, but are often powerless when faced with organised industrial-scale ticket touting.

Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.
Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons as the band are asking music fans to "stand up" to rip-off ticket touts. Picture from PA.

"At the moment, the law makes it easy for these shady operators to hoover up tickets and profit at your expense - so we are joining with others across the music and creative communities to a support petition that demands politicians tighten up consumer legislation.

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"If 100,000 of you sign it, then Government will be pressurised to consider the issue for Parliamentary debate."

Little Mix, who include Jade and Perry from South Shields, tweeted: "Touts get in the way of music fans getting fair tickets Stop them & sign the petition."

The petition is headlined Enforce the Consumer Rights Act to protect music, arts and sport fans from touts.

It states: "On a commercial scale, touting deprives the Treasury of VAT, and performance copyright holders of royalties that should be paid on the mark-ups. It also denies artistes the ability to ensure their events are priced so anyone can attend."

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A Department for Business Innovation & Skills spokesman said: "In the Consumer Rights Act, the Government committed to an independent review of online secondary ticketing.

"The review has been considering a wide range of stakeholders responses to consider how best to represent consumers' interests. We are expecting the review report in late May 2016."