Robbie Williams’ management have put tickets for his UK tour directly on sale on secondary resale websites.
The 42-year-old singer’s shows have reportedly been listed at escalated prices, with Ie: music putting them on Get Me in and Seatwave for £65 more than the original amount Ticketmaster – who own both the resale sites – listed them for.
According to BBC Two’s ‘Victoria Derbyshire’ show Ticketmaster had tickets for Robbie’s gig at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on June 2 up for £96, excluding fees, and on Get Me In seats described as "platinum" were on for £160.
The sales from these tickets will reportedly go to Robbie’s management.
Ticketmaster claim their "platinum" ticketing system offers fans the "best seats in the house" and are priced according to demand, and they also stressed to buyers that the money made is given back to the rights holders – in this case Robbie’s management – and not given to ticket touts.
They said: "Platinum tickets are a very small percentage of the best seats in the house that are priced according to demand, in consultation with our clients, the event organisers.
"The UK live events industry has been successfully using platinum for many years so that the full value of these tickets goes back to the rights holders and not to re-sellers."
Appearing on the show, You Me At Six frontman Josh Franchesci – who has previously spoken to the Parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport select committee about ticket touts – slammed Robbie’s team, calling them "greedy".
He said: "You are already charging £95 for a show and as the promotional video revealed beforehand, this is only seats one block over, how can you charge an extra £60 for that, I don’t understand."
Asked how he describes that kind of behaviour, he added: "Greedy. As simple as that it’s greedy.
"If you tickets are £95 and you are playing Wembley Stadium, you don’t need money you are Robbie Williams."
This will no doubt shock fans of the ‘Let Me Entertain You’ hitmaker – who recently made a comeback with his record ‘The Heavy Entertainment Show’ – as his own management signed a petition in 2015 to say they do not support the resale of tickets.
At the time, they argued: "We as artist managers and agents deplore the increasing industrial-scale abuse and insider exploitation of tickets for music, arts and sports events by ticket touts, and their online associates and facilitators."
Robbie Williams’ management list tour tickets on resale sites
