A Day on the Green: Scalpers exploiting ticketing loophole
SCALPERS are exploiting a loophole in Queensland laws to offer tickets to a sold-out Brisbane double bill for more than double their face value.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SCALPERS are exploiting a loophole in Queensland laws to offer tickets to the sold-out Blondie/Cyndi Lauper double-header at Sirromet winery for more than double their face value.
The revelation comes as tickets to Midnight Oil’s global reunion tour go on sale today with unprecedented measures against “low-life” scalpers.
Penalty rates cut: Fair Work Commission decision handed down
General admission tickets to the Day on the Green show on April 2 were on sale for $117 on the official Ticketmaster site, but were recently being touted for as much as $299 on Viagogo, $287 on Ticketmaster Resale and $209 on eBay.
A seat in the platinum section, which was $203 at the box office, is now being sold for $506 on Ticketmaster Resale, an offshoot of Tickemaster the official seller of the event.
Under Queensland anti-scalping laws, tickets to “prescribed major events” or events held at major sporting facilities, such as the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Carrara Stadium and The Gabba, can be resold at no more than 10 per cent more than the face value.
The Act states a “prescribed major event” can only be sanctioned by the Governor in Council.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Tourism and Major Events said A Day on the Green, which hosts some 10,000 music fans, did not fall under the category of a major event.
“Regular concerts, sporting events, fund runs and festivals would be unlikely to meet the criteria,” the spokeswoman told The Courier-Mail.
“Under the MEA (Major Events Act), ticket scalping and other commercial protections for an event are the responsibility of the major event organiser.”
A Day on the Green discourages scalping and even names Ticketmaster Resale as one of the sites fans should not purchase tickets through, even though it’s an affiliate of Ticketmaster.
“Scalpers also use the platform Ticketmaster Resale but that does not make them authorised sellers. This can be confusing because Ticketmaster is our official ticketing outlet,” the Day on the Green website states.
“Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster Resale are two different things — there is no guarantee that tickets bought on Ticketmaster Resale will be valid tickets.”
A Ticketmaster spokeswoman distanced the seller from its resale offshoot, which started in the US in 2008 and opened in Australia six years later.
She said all purchases on Ticketmaster Resale were guaranteed and the site was merely providing a service for buyers and fans.
“Ticketmaster Resale is a safe and secure marketplace where individuals are able to buy and resell tickets, with all purchases backed by an industry-leading fan guarantee,” she said.
“With popular artists and events, demand often far outstrips the supply of tickets. Ticketmaster’s priority is to help artists get as many tickets as possible into the hands of real fans, and we never place tickets on secondary market sites.”
While the Blondie and Cyndi Lauper show is a sellout, tickets are still available for the Don Henley event on March 12.
Meanwhile, Midnight Oil has not relied on government legislation to deter scalpers, instead taking matters into their own hands.
In announcing the band’s reunion and world tour last week, frontman Peter Garrett described businesses that facilitate scalpers as “low-life companies” who operate a “disgusting practice”.
Drummer Rob Hirst envisaged some diehard fans may even sleep outside the office of ticket sellers to secure seats, and only paper tickets would be available.
Also, the purchaser’s name and address must match the details on the credit card, and tickets will be issued only two months before the start of the Australian leg of the tour to restrict scalping.
The pre-sale for the Midnight Oil concerts begins today, with general tickets available next Monday.
Brisbane fashion coup as duo set up shop
A favourite label of Australia’s “first lady” will open a store-within-a-store in Brisbane City after closing their flagship Gold Coast outlet at the start of the year.
Kay McGrath to step down from anchor role
She is one of Queensland’s most famous faces but Kay McGrath has decided the time is right to read her final news bulletin. Find out what she’ll do next and who will replace her.