As of now, concert ticket resellers are operating under new rules in the EU

Everyone has an opinion on ticket resellers (think StubHub, SeatGeek, Viagogo, and yes, even Ticketmasters resale site). It boils down to this: If you have the money and want good seats to a hot gig, you love them. If you feel that these sites profit on the backs of the fans, you hate them.

Jurisdictions all over the planet have been working on what to do about ticket resellers. The EU has come out of the gate with a piece of legislation that will “help curb exploitative ticket resale practices and better regulate online marketplaces — including through stronger transparency and due diligence requirements, and new procedures for taking down illegal ticket listings.”

They call this the Digital Services Act (DSA). Here’s what we know (this is a quote from the press release):

• From 17 Feb the DSA will apply to all platforms, including Viagogo and Stubhub
• Online marketplaces will be required to identify and verify professional sellers and be prohibited from using manipulative sales tactics 
• Introduces annual reports on content take-downs revealing the scale of illegal activity – which enforcement agencies and search engines must not ignore
• The Face-Value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) are working closely with new Digital Services Coordinators on effective enforcement.

(Note: FEAT is a non-profit that promoters better ticket resale practices. Artists who have signed on include Adele, Björk, Die Ärzte, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Florence + the Machine, Iron Maiden, Radiohead, Rammstein, and The Rolling Stones. FC Barcelona is also on board.)

So what does this mean”

• Professional sellers have to be identified and verified.
• No more “dark patterns” (“Ticket resale sites will be banned from using design tricks that manipulate consumers into decisions, such as “pop-ups” or giving prominence to specific choices.”)
• Annual reporting. Publicly available reports on takedowns of ticket listings. This will show how good/bad thigns are.
• More accountability by making it clear throughout the buying process that you’re using a secondary seller.
• More oversight by government.

You can bet that governments in non-EU countries will be looking at this carefully.