Singer Jack Johnson has sold more than 18 million albums worldwide and is capable of filling arenas and headlining festivals.
But he has revealed he is reluctant to play bigger shows when he comes to London in the late summer because of the secondary ticketing industry which inflates prices.
Websites and touts often resell tickets for more than their face value, which is known as “scalping” in the US.
The 38-year-old singer is due to perform at BBC Radio 2 Live In Hyde Park on September 8 and at the iTunes Festival at The Roundhouse on September 16.
Johnson, who donates all his tour profits to charity, said: “Mostly we’re just trying to figure out how to keep tickets out of the hands of scalpers and make it fair for people. Some people aren’t able to be near a phone right when they’re going on sale.”
Johnson lives a simple life in Hawaii with his wife and three children and shuns the celebrity lifestyle. He revealed he keeps his platinum and gold discs hidden away in a cupboard. He said: “Hawaii always feels like the right place for me. I’ve always been aware of getting away from the industry.
“I think for the type of music I make, not having somebody from a record label coming in and giving me their two cents on what makes it sound more ‘radio friendly’ or whatever is great.
“There was a time when people started sending me gold and platinum records from different territories when we were selling a certain amount of records.
“It felt amazing and we hung them up on the wall of my studio. But then I tried to make a record the next day and I had to take them all down. I put them in a closest and they’ve never come back out since. It’s purely because I didn’t want to be reminded about that it’s anything to do with that.”
Jack Johnson’s new album From Here To Now To You is due out on September 17.
