Sir Elton John brands touts 'disgraceful' as secondary tickets for 2016 tour selling for 'extortionate' prices

The singer said he would rather play to empty seats than see fans pay money to touts
Hitting out: Sir Elton John
Alexandre Loureiro/Getty
Emma Powell16 December 2015
The Weekender

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Sir Elton John has hit out at touts, branding them “disgraceful”, after tickets for his 2016 UK tour were being sold for up to five times the original price.

The singer, 68, said he would rather play to "empty seats" than allow fans to pay the “extortionate” prices on secondary tickets.

"I'd rather have empty seats," he told the BBC. "I think it's extortionate and I think it's disgraceful."

John set a top price of £90 for his upcoming tour so that fans would not have to break the bank to attend.

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Speaking about his fans, he said: "The fact they're willing to pay that [amount] is fantastic. But I'd rather they'd save their money and not come."

The Rocket Man singer - who this week released the video for his new single Wonderful Crazy Night - isn’t the first artist to hit out at touts.

Coldplay signed a joint letter which was sent to the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, in November to warn of "industrial-scale abuse and insider exploitation".

They said “tens of thousands of fans have been ripped off” which will dissuade people from enjoying live music.

Adele’s management also hit out and used experts to exclude more than 18,000 “known or likely touts” from the ticket buying process after she announced her 2016 European tour, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Following the general release of Adele's tickets, some were being touted online for as much as £1000.

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