FAC supports AIF anti-profiteering Ticket Charter

The entire Board of the UK’s Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), has pledged its support of the Fair Ticketing Charter.

The Charter was created by the UK’s Association of Independent Festivals in a move to keep festival tickets at affordable prices and is increasingly being adopted by those across the live industry who wish to take a stand against profiteering across the secondary ticketing market.

The following FAC board members have signed the Charter, and are in the process of inviting other FAC members to sign up.

Sandie Shaw

Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)

Mark Kelly (Marillion)

Hal Ritson (The Young Punx)

Crispin Hunt

Annie Lennox

Rumer

Lucy Pullin  (The Fire Escapes)

Chris Difford (Squeeze)

Howard Jones

Fran Healy (Travis)

Dave Rowntree (Blur)

Kate Nash

Master Shortie

They join previous artists, promoters and festivals signatories including Radiohead, Bestival, Orbital and Secret Garden Party, bringing the total number to nearly 90.

The Charter (below) sets out a position against secondary ticketing and demands secondary ticket sellers cease selling tickets for signatory’s events. 

“AIF is delighted to see large parts of the live industry and now the artist community backing our Charter,” said AIF co-founder and vice chair Ben Turner. “It is time the music business stands united on this issue and this huge statement from FAC is a massive boost to the millions of music fans out there who are being misled by many promoters from around the world.”

The subject was recently highlighted by industry think tank MusicTank. It will be given a further boost in the New Year taken by the impending launch of the The Fan Fair Alliance, which is fully supported by the AIF.

To sign up to the industry charter email Emmy at emmy@aiforg.com or call +44(0)208 994 5599.

The Fair Ticketing Charter

We the undersigned believe that the growth of ticket-touting online - so-called 'secondary ticketing’ - is bad for fans and bad for live entertainment.

Ticket touting means real fans are deprived of the opportunity to attend events and see artists they love while speculators cash in.

We believe there are strong arguments for legislation to curb the activities of unofficial ticket-sellers.

Until such legislation is enacted we believe the entire Live Entertainment Industry should further increase its efforts to protect fans. 

We affirm that we will be transparent with the pricing and distribution of tickets for events that we control.

We restate our commitment to adopting ticketing processes and technologies which ensure tickets reach the hands of real fans rather than touts.

We call on secondary ticket sellers to cease and desist selling tickets for events we control.

We call on consumers to boycott ticket touts.

General Industry Signatories:

13 Artists

A Greener Festival

Association of Independent Festivals

Association of Festival Organisers

Bristol Ticket Shop

Chambers Management (promoter of comedy talent and mgr. of Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle and Jack Whitehall)

Coda Agency

Crowd Surge

Dawson Breed Music

eFestivals

Festaxis

Festival UK

Free Trade Agency

Gotye

Graphite Media

Hospital Records

ID&C

John Fairs

JCF Management

Name PR

Ninja Tune

Orbital

Portishead

Radiohead

Rob da Bank

Sandbag

Skiddle

Sunday Best Recordings

Value Added Talent

Wikifestivals

Wildlife Entertainment (rep. Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane)

We Got Tickets

XRay Touring

FAC Board member Signatories:

Sandie Shaw

Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)

Mark Kelly (Marillion)

Hal Ritson (The Young Punx)

Crispin Hunt

Annie Lennox

Rumer

Lucy Pullin  (The Fire Escapes)

Chris Difford (Squeeze)

Howard Jones

Fran Healy (Travis)

Dave Rowntree (Blur)

Kate Nash

Master Shortie 

AIF Member Signatories:

The charter can also be viewed at www.aiforg.com