London venue is UK's first to use digital-only ticketing

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phone being usedImage source, Getty Images

Islington Assembly Hall has become the first venue in the UK to introduce digital-only ticketing.

The North London venue will now only sell tickets through ticketing app DICE in a bid to cut out touts.

The app sells tickets which have to be shown on the phone of the person who paid for them.

It's hoped the move will help limit the amount of tickets resold through secondary agents or sold by touts outside the venue.

Image source, Drew de F Fawkes
Image caption,
Plenty of big names, including Fall Out Boy (pictured), have played at the venue

Islington Assembly Hall's business manager Lucinda Brown said: "We're so excited to be working with DICE and to be leading the way as a music venue offering mobile-first tickets.

"Through this partnership, we are making a stand against touts and allowing fans to have more control."

Upcoming gigs at the 800-capacity venue include Rae Morris, Jake Isaac and Kele Okereke.

The move follows other efforts by big names and the music industry as a whole to limit secondary ticketing.

Ed Sheeran recently announced strict entry rules for his 2018 tour.

The singer and his team, who have previously said they are "vehemently opposed" to ticket re-sales, have explained how fans will need four forms of ID when they arrive at the venue.

Image source, Getty Images

"Ed and his team have a strict stance against anyone using secondary ticketing websites for profit," says a statement from Ed's record label, Atlantic Records.

"On this tour, any tickets that are resold will not be valid unless they are bought and sold through Ed's official resale partner, Twickets, which allows fan to fan sales at face value plus booking fee only.

"This means no profit to touts and no-one getting ripped off."

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