Soundwave Looks Abroad To Ward Off Scalpers

Soundwave is already a big deal in Australia, but the festival has today announce a deal with global ticketing company viagogo which will not only see increased exposure to overseas markets, but also aims to crack down on unscrupulous ticket buyers and resellers.

According to a press release, the partnership has been championed by Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah, and is promising to give international music fans better access to Soundwave tickets, and better security to anyone wanting to buy or sell Soundwave tickets online.

“Over the last few years, we have seen an increasing number of fake tickets and outright scams committed by fraudsters on websites such as Gumtree and I’m very happy to finally be able to offer Soundwave fans a secure platform to buy and sell tickets,” says Maddah.

“Having looked at their service and interface with customers, viagogo has a world-class ticketing service that is dependable and safe. From a more selfish point of view, viagogo also provides the festival with a unique platform to reach the global fanbase and expand Soundwave’s footprint internationally.”

According to the press release, viagogo has seen an 87 percent increase in searches for Soundwave tickets this year, with 30 percent of all searches coming from overseas. So whilst Adelaide looks likely to follow in Perth’s footsteps and lose the festival, largely due to lacking ticket sales, there’s definite international interest occurring.

Viagogo spokesperson Alex Levenson says the company are ready to offer Soundwave to a global audience, and believes Viagogo has the ability to guarantee the legitimacy of each and every ticket.

“Soundwave is without a doubt the most in-demand rock event in Australia and our partnership will ensure both local and international fans can access legitimate tickets, up to the very last minute,” Levenson says.

“We stand behind every ticket and will provide a replacement or offer a full refund in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.”

If the partnership between Soundwave Festival and viagogo is a fruitful one, we could be hearing more and more different accents in the crowd at future festivals, and ticket buyers and resellers hopefully won’t get caught up in as many dodgy deals.

It’s also a vote of confidence that the festival will continue next year, after a patchy 2015 in terms of ticket sales. The Adelaide event will be this year’s last, largely due to poor sales. The festival’s earlier announced Melbourne venue of Flemington Racecourse was changed to the much smaller Showgrounds in December.

Soundwave 2015 begins in Adelaide and Melbourne this Saturday, 21st February, before moving to Sydney and Brisbane. Festival organisers also released the final Soundwave 2015 set times earlier today, giving ticket holders time to plan out their festival experience.