Reselling concert tickets for above face value is set to be banned in the U.K. The move comes days after a letter signed by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sam Fender and more urged the government to act to protect fans from exploitation.
According to BBC News, U.K. ministers are expected to unveil a plan on Wednesday that will confront resale sites and ticket touting for live music, theater, comedy and sports events. Though fans will still be able to resell tickets to an event if they can no longer attend, the sale limit will be set to the original cost of the ticket and extra fees will be minimized.
The proposed plan from the U.K.’s department for culture, media and sport will strive to make resale tickets £37 ($48) cheaper on average, saving fans a total of £112 million ($137 million) per year. The resale platforms will be legally obligated to monitor and enforce the new regulations.
On Thursday, a slew of British music stars signed an open letter urging U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make good on his promise to stop ticket touting after the government began a public consultation on the ticketing issue at the beginning of the year. Lipa, Fender, Coldplay, the Cure, Radiohead and more asked the government to act to “restore faith in the ticketing system” and “help democratize public access to the arts.” Recent large-scale concerts like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Oasis’ reunion run have seen prices inflate massively, with resale tickets going for thousands of pounds.