MEDIA RELEASE: GOOGLE’S VIAGOGO DECISION A MAJOR WIN FOR AUSTRALIAN MUSIC

GOOGLE’S VIAGOGO DECISION A MAJOR WIN FOR AUSTRALIAN MUSIC

Google's decision to clamp down on ticket reseller Viagogo is a major win for Australian musicians, fans and venues.

Viagogo cannot be trusted. For years, it has been selling fake and overpriced tickets that have left countless concertgoers disappointed.

That's why Labor has been campaigning for action against the company.

Music fans do not go to Viagogo because it’s the best place to buy tickets – they are directed there by search engines.

We therefore welcome that Google has finally listened to the pleas of entertainers and their fans, banning Viagogo from prime position in its search results.

We wrote to Google in 2017 to ask them to do precisely this.

Google’s decision also follows a recent Federal Court ruling that found the company was misleading consumers.

Labor urges Google to stick with this decision and not change course. And we call on other search engines to follow Google's lead.

Scott Morrison's government should also act.

The Government cannot just sit on its hands while consumers are getting ripped off.

It should also clamp down on sites like Viagogo, including by legislating a national resale price cap and banning ticket-buying bots.

FRIDAY, 19 JULY 2019