IRON MAIDEN BEAT THE TICKET TOUTS
2nd March 2017



iron maiden

Iron Maiden's efforts to counter touting and counterfeiting ahead of the 2017s The Book Of Souls UK and European arena tour which starts on May 4th has been hailed as a triumph by fans, promoters and legitimate ticketing sites.

Maiden implemented an extensive 'Paperless Ticketing' policy by ensuring all tickets would carry the name of the purchaser and would also require the purchaser's credit card and ID on entry, amongst other measures, in a concerted effort to beat the touts.

Consequently, the number of tickets available at inflated prices on the secondary platforms plummeted by over 95% compared with the band’s last UK arena tour in 2011.

By eliminating many of the resale platforms there was nowhere for the so called ticketing 'power brokers' and counterfeiters to go to sell, thus largely eliminating touting and keeping tickets on the official box office at the correct pricing, with over 100,000 tickets sold on the first day of sale, all at the intended price.

Maiden's Manager Rod Smallwood said:

"We are delighted that the paperless ticketing system and other measures we instigated here in the UK have proved a massive deterrent to touts and counterfeiters. We want to thank our fans for their enduring support and patience. We appreciate that our stringent policy has meant fans having to jump over one more hurdle in the ticket-buying process but the results speak for themselves and I think everyone can agree this was well worth it.

"On the first day of public sale, we sold over 100,000 tickets nationwide direct to genuine fans through the proper legitimate channels. This is an incredible achievement and victory for concert-goers, not least as this is a full twelve date UK tour we're undertaking, not just a couple of dates in the bigger cities.

"We've calculated that around one million pounds worth of mark-up on tickets is not sitting in the hands of touts, but instead the tickets are sitting in the hands of the fans at the correct price and we think that is a great result and makes all our efforts worthwhile.

"Secondary ticketing sites operate a billion pound profiteering industry offering little to the consumer in return for their hugely inflated prices. There have been many instances highlighted in the UK media recently about the reselling of tickets for corporate or personal gain so we very much welcome the excellent work of the FanFair Alliance and the fact that the Culture, Media & Sports Committee recently re-opened the debate in the House Of Commons on this ongoing problem and trust that common sense and good judgement will prevail."

Andrew Parsons, Managing Director, Ticketmaster UK says:

"Iron Maiden has been clear from the beginning: eliminate resale and get tickets directly into the hands of fans. We're proud that our Paperless ticketing technology has been able to achieve this for the band, their team and the fans."

Andy Copping, President UK Touring, Live Nation adds:

"The plan put in place to help Iron Maiden minimise resale has been a huge success. It's great to see so many fans get behind the band and understand what they were aiming to achieve. I look forward to the tour in May."

iron maiden

Iron Maiden Book Of Souls European Tour 2017
April 22rd: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
April 24th: Oberhausen Konig Pilsener Arena, Germany
April 28th: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
April 29th: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
May 2nd: Hamburg Barclaycard Arena, Germany
May 4th: Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena, UK
May 6th: Dublin 3arena, Ireland
May 8th: Manchester Arena, UK
May 10th: Sheffield Arena, UK
May 11th: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
May 14th: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK
May 16th: Glasgow SSE Hydro Arena, UK
May 17th: Aberdeen AECC GE Oil & Gas Arena, UK
May 20th: Liverpool Echo Arena, UK
May 21st: Birmingham Barclaycard Arena, UK
May 24th: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK
May 27th: London O2 Arena, UK
May 28th: London O2 Arena, UK

Tickets available from Ticketmaster right here.







 
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