$202M Annual Ticket Fraud
The UK government and O2 have teamed to urge the public to Stop! Think Fraud and to always use official ticketing websites. The campaign comes as new research by O2 reveals the amount lost to ticket fraud in the UK last year reached £150 million/$202 million.
The data showed that more than 14% of gig goers surveyed have bought a fake ticket with 77% of the tickets bought via online platforms. It also found that no age group was immune to scams, but those aged 18 to 24 faced the highest risk with 31% having been sold a fake ticket compared to 4% of those aged 55+.
Ticketmaster adds Gemini App
Ticketmaster is now available as a Connected App in Gemini enabling the discovery of live events through natural conversations.
Fans can browse eligible events, compare seating options and prices, then continue to the Ticketmaster marketplace to complete their purchase. Event organizers also gain visibility in one of the world’s fastest-growing AI platforms without any additional implementation or setup.
Ticketmaster also has integrations with Claude, ChatGPT and Amazon Alexa+.
Juan Torres joins Tixel
Former Prism, Dice and Aprimo exec Juan Torres has joined Tixel as VP Commercials US, leading the fan to fan ticket resale marketplace's North American commercial operation.
Tixel partners with venues, promoters, festivals, and primary ticketing platforms "to eliminate scalping and deliver a secure, fair resale experience for fans and organizers alike." Having built strong market positions in Australia and the UK, the company is now scaling aggressively in the United States.
Bandsintown chronicles Dance Music's Live Growth
New data from Bandsintown comparing 2025 and 2026 shows that dance music ticket demand is accelerating faster than virtually every other major genre.
Clicks to buy dance music tickets rose 23.7% year-over-year, outstripping live growth in hip-hop, pop, rock, R&B, Latin, and country. Total artist follows in the genre grew to 1.51 billion, adding 60.8 million new fan connections in the last year. More stats here.
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