Artist views: For and against secondary ticketing sites

Musicians at this year's NME awards have been giving their views on the UK's secondary ticketing market.

It's after Viagogo was forced to defend the practice of gig promoters selling tickets on its website.

Channel 4's Dispatches highlighted the thousands of tickets sold in that way for inflated prices in a programme shown on TV last week.

Fans complained that tickets were resold at higher prices within minutes of events selling out.

Viagogo UK director Ed Parkinson said its business model was to "guarantee that buyers get their tickets and sellers get paid".

He added: "We allow anyone to sell on our marketplace and the overwhelming majority of our sellers are individuals but it also includes larger sellers which can include concert promoters.

"We don't discriminate. We allow anyone to sell on our market place as long as they deliver the tickets that they sell."

Marina Diamandis (Marina and the Diamonds)

Marina Diamandis was at the NME awards in a pink princess outfit

"I think it's totally disgusting.

"It makes me feel sick that a normal music fan can't buy the ticket because it's too expensive and then a music fan with money can buy it, but is still being ripped off.

"These sites should be shut down."

Katy B

Katy B won the dancefloor anthem prize at the NME music awards

"With the whole credit crunch thing, people are trying to find ways to have an extra income. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for them. It's such a shame.

"When I was younger I used to save so much money to go and get that one album and I'd play it for months because that would be the only album I could get.

"The same thing would happen with tickets.

"I remember I went to go and see Justin Timberlake once and I queued outside Earl's Court from five o'clock in the morning with my friends.

"We camped outside but we got our tickets in the end.

"You've just got to be a bit more on the ball. Don't let the touts get you down. There shouldn't be any selling on of tickets."

Michael Eavis

Michael Eavis was at the NME awards to pick up Glastonbury's best festival prize

"We're not changing our ticketing system [at Glastonbury]. We're staying with the photo on the tickets.

"It worked really well and you can't tout the tickets.

"The people that buy the tickets come to the show. We're the only show on earth to do that."

Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs

Ricky Wilson (left) from Kaiser Chiefs thinks it would be hard to stop touting

"It has happened and it will always happen.

"I think people are doing their best to prevent that from happening. It's better than it was.

"I hate to say it but I'm just a singer. I don't sell the tickets.

"I'm on Twitter and every day I get about 100 tweets telling me that I've annoyed them because of the tickets.

"If you want me to play for you, I'll play for you. I don't know the details about how the tickets get into your hand."

Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees

The Maccabees performed live at the NME music awards in London

"There's not a lot I can do about it.

"There are plenty of other things to be concerned about.

"When I was growing up, you'd always find it hard to get into gigs, even if you got there early.

"You'd blag your way in sometimes and they were the best gigs you'd seen and you hadn't bought a ticket."

Two Door Cinema Club

Two Door Cinema Club don't agree with the idea of secondary ticketing

Kevin Baird (right) said: "We had a really big conversation about it the other day.

"I think it is quite short-sighted for an artist to be OK with that.

"You're taking money from the people who keep you in this business and keep you ticking over day to day, buy your records and actually come to your shows.

"It's something we wholeheartedly disagree with and we would never have our tickets sold by anyone to a different party than a normal ticket operator."

Metronomy

Metronomy have differing views on the secondary ticketing market

Gbenga Adelekan (middle right) said: "It's a disgrace. What else can you think about it?

"If it's genuine it's cool.

"But if people are posing as being genuine and actually they're just making even more of a profit from already very expensive shows, that's not cool."

Anna Prior (left) added: "There are genuine reasons for people to use those sites.

"I don't necessarily disagree with it completely."