Glastonbury 2014: Four in five fans wanted to resell tickets after Metallica announcement

Organisers prohibit ticket touting by sending out personalised entry passes

Metallica have so far proved an unpopular choice as Glastonbury headliners (Getty Images)

The vast majority of people would have re-sold their Glastonbury Festival ticket after Metallica were announced as headliners, new research has found.

The US heavy metal group’s booking has been met with controversy, with musicians and fans doubting whether the “Enter Sandman” band are a suitable fit for the “hippy” vibe of the event.

Furthermore, frontman James Hetfield's involvement in a pro bear-hunting documentary sparked online petitions to remove Metallica from the line-up.

To cut out ticket touting, organisers enforce registration during the ticket-buying process meaning that it is not possible to pass personalised tickets on.

But almost four in five fans who bought a ticket to this summer’s festival were put off going by Michael Eavis’ decision to invite Metallica to play, Viagogo reports from their June poll of 2,000 UK adults.

“These findings support widespread media reports that Metallica was a controversial choice to headline one of the world’s most iconic music festivals,” a spokesperson for the ticket marketplace said.

“Fans around the country have been left feeling done by, with the festival organisers holding back the headline announcement until after the final resale date.

“We believe that once you’ve bought a ticket it’s yours and if you want to sell it or give it away, you should be allowed to do so.

"In this case, with an unpopular headline act announced late, ticket holders lose out because they can’t resell their tickets and Metallica fans lose out because they can’t buy them.”