Elton John: Ticket resale sites are ‘disgraceful’ for hiking up prices
Sir Elton John has hit out at secondary ticketing sites which sell on tickets to shows at a premium.
The Rocketman star told the BBC that he would “rather have empty seats”, and would rather his fans “save their money”.
The controversial sites have been around for some time, and allow users to resell tickets to theatre shows and gigs at a nominally increased price.
Sir Elton responded to the fact that tickets for his tour next year were being sold for up to five times their face value on reselling sites.
“I think it’s extortionate and I think it’s disgraceful,” he said.
“The fact they’re willing to pay that [amount] is fantastic. But I’d rather they’d save their money and not come.”
Tickets for the tour are selling for as much as £500 on sites like Stubhub, despite that there are still tickets available from official sellers.
Stubhub’s international manager Estanis Martin de Nicolas told the BBC: “We understand the concerns of some artists but the reality is that for many events on our site, the bulk of sellers are fans themselves.
“The dangers of putting restrictions on music fans and how they buy tickets is that it poses huge risks in pushing them into the back alleys where there are no consumer protections at all.”
Fellow resale site Viagogo added: “Sellers set the prices on Viagogo and for popular events such as Elton John’s 2016 tour, prices can be higher because there is huge demand and limited supply.
“However, while a seller can list a ticket at any price he likes, it doesn’t mean the ticket will actually sell at that price. Tickets for Elton John’s UK dates actually start from under face value at £71 on our site.”
