A statement from Radiohead manager Julie Calland has been issued after tickets to the band’s upcoming tour were spotted on sale for £1,720.
The Thom Yorke-fronted band had tried to limit the number of scalpers who received codes to access the ticket sale for their upcoming European tour. Those interested had to register with both a valid email address and phone number, and only a select few were chosen to receive a code, which then gave them a chance to buy a ticket. Those codes did not guarantee a ticket, but it appears a few resellers made it through the rigorous registration and landed themselves tickets to the shows in England, Italy, and Spain. Speaking to The Telegraph, Calland confirmed Radiohead had done everything feasible to protect fans from scalpers.
She said: “Radiohead have always strived to protect their audience from exploitative ticket tours. Fans will be encouraged to stay away from secondary sites, and we will work alongside organisations like FanFair Alliance and Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing, to shut down unauthorised sales.”
The band had made it clear in the lead-up to the ticket sale that fans should only purchase tickets from AXS. A post to the band’s website reads: “All dates are currently SOLD OUT. A few more tickets may be released at a later date to those who registered.
“Please don’t be tempted to buy from third-party ticketing platforms – those tickets are not real. Official releases begin October 13.” New information can now be found on the band’s website, where they offer instructions to those wanting to sell their tickets.
It reads: “The only way to sell or transfer tickets will be through the transfer and face value resale facility offered by the official ticketing platform – please check with them for details. The ticket transfer and resale facility will not be available to use until closer to the time of the show. Some venues will be checking your ID against the name on the ticket.”
Though no further shows are set to be announced, the band has confirmed they hope to play more shows in future. A statement reads: “There will be no extra dates announced. These are the only shows that Radiohead will be playing for now. The band hope to do more shows elsewhere in the future.”
Calland added that the registration process is “not a perfect science” but is a better alternative to other forms of sale. They added: “The registration process, while not a perfect science, is an attempt to deliver tickets as fairly as possible directly to fans at the prices the band intended.”
Viagogo criticised Radiohead’s ticket policy, with a statement submitted to The Guardian reading: “We are fully compliant in the UK, where resale is highly regulated and permitted under the law.
“Some organisers take anti-competitive actions and try to limit where tickets can be bought or sold. We exist to serve fans on their terms – whether they missed the onsale, are buying tickets just days before the event, or need to sell at the last minute.” Radiohead capped their ticket prices in the AXS sale to £85 per person. ViaGogo currently has listings as expensive as £1,720 for two seated tickets.
