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The manager of indie giants Arctic Monkeys is calling for rogue tout site Viagogo to be shut down by the Government.

Ian McAndrew spoke out after the resale platform was the only one among the big four tout sites to carry tickets for the band’s sold-out tour – in breach of terms and conditions and the Consumer Rights Act.

McAndrew said: “I don’t know how Viagogo are allowed to operate. They are ignoring efforts to clean up the shop and should be shut down in my view.

“The Parliament’s culture, media and sport select committee on ticket abuse tried to get them in but they didn’t show up.

“They have total contempt for the law and I think enough’s enough.

“The Government should see there’s enough evidence to justify disconnecting Viagogo from the system. They should not be functioning as a business in this country.”

The Competition and Markets Authority are investigating Viagogo and rival sites Get Me In!, Seatwave and Stubhub. They are expected to announce soon what enforcement action to take after sites repeatedly breached the Consumer Rights Act.

McAndrew said he was encouraged by Ticketmaster’s compliance in not directing fans to their secondary sales platforms Seatwave and Get Me In!

Stubhub also complied with the band’s wishes and refused to accept tickets from touts – as they won’t be valid for admission.

The music industry big hitter has waged war on touts for a decade and put the same tough conditions on tickets for previous gigs by the band. He is also a founder member of pressure group FanFair Alliance.

McAndrew believes big venues could hold the key.

He said: “Venues are at the root of the problem as they form exclusive deals with primary sellers, meaning some of the most ethical agents are denied access to the market. Tickets then tend to end up on the secondary market.”

The manager believes a mobile phone ticketing system could be the solution – effectively cutting out big resale sites.

McAndrew said: “For instance, say I’m running a show at the Hydro in Glasgow and want to bring in a mobile phone ticketing firm. Every ticket would connect to a phone and when you turn up, you run it through a scanner and in you go.

“If you can’t go to the gig, send the ticket back and get a refund to your bank account and let the seller sell it again.

“Fans wouldn’t have to pay for postage or booking fees. It could all be done on one hub.

“It’s strange because we make technology work well for us – there are a million apps for our phones – but don’t seem willing or able to make it work in ticketing.”

Arctic Monkeys, fronted by Alex Turner, are adamant rigid ticket rules will be enforced, meaning fans who have been duped or who decide to risk using dud tickets will be turned away if they don’t have ID matching the name of the lead booker.

(Image: Getty)

The crackdown uses the same ID measures McAndrew’s Wildlife Entertainment imposed for previous Arctic Monkeys shows and gigs by rockers Royal Blood.

He said: “We made sure See Tickets and Ticketmaster, our primary agents, adhered to the policy of names on tickets and ID being required at the door.

“We got Get Me In!, Seatwave and Stubhub to refrain from listing tickets as we made it clear people would not get in with resold tickets.

“We had a conversation with Ticketmaster to disconnect the link to their resale sites, Get Me In! and Seatwave, as they would be contravening the terms and conditions of the tickets. We were pleased they agreed but, frankly, they weren’t obliged to do that under UK law and I couldn’t say that every band could get that compliance.

“Ticketmaster are the biggest ticketing company in the world and can often call the shots.”

McAndrew said Arctic Monkeys want to make sure fans don’t have to pay over the odds to see them live.

He said: “The band are very aware of this problem and are very supportive.

“They want fans to pay face value. I think most artists do.

“Most artists get pretty upset when they see fans being asked for thousands of pounds for tickets on these websites.

“Don’t forget, the artists don’t see any of that money, other than the face value. That’s what the promoter receives to offset the cost of the show. Anything on top just goes into the hand of the tout. They are just parasites profiting off people who invested in the business.”

Enforcement of existing laws is also crucial, says McAndrew.

He said: ‘The CMA have power, the Consumer Rights Act carries weight if properly enforced and the Advertising Standards Authority can clean up the way sites operate.

“The FanFair Alliance have done great work but we need more pressure on the Government to clean up this secondary marketplace.”

McAndrew acknowledges that ID checks mean it takes longer to get into gigs and can frustrate fans.

He added: “It requires more resources and involves greater effort but will help minimise touting.

“The longer-term solution is to adopt better ticketing technology and access control systems to improve the whole experience of buying tickets.”