Olivia Dean Secures Fan Refunds After “Exploitative” Ticket Resales
Olivia Dean, a rising star in the music industry, has successfully garnered partial refunds for her fans from Ticketmaster and AXS. Her efforts came after she criticized these ticketing services as “exploitative” following exorbitant resale prices for her North American tour tickets.
Last week, Dean highlighted that resale tickets for her sold-out concerts were priced at an astonishing 14 times their original value. She expressed her outrage on social media, stating, “Live music should be affordable and accessible, and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.”
Dean accused major ticketing services, including Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and AEG, of providing a “disgusting service” and noted that the excessive resale prices were against the wishes of both artists and fans. In her statement, she announced that Ticketmaster and AXS would refund fans who paid above face value and implement a policy capping resale prices to face value for her tour.
Dean’s Message to the Industry
In her social media address, Dean emphasized the need for the live music industry to prioritize accessibility. She remarked, “Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap resale at face value ahead of on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all.”
Dean labelled the secondary ticket market as “exploitative and unregulated,” urging the industry to protect fans and the community. She thanked her supporters and expressed excitement about her upcoming performances.
Response from Ticketmaster
Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, responded positively to Dean’s advocacy. He stated, “We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets.” While acknowledging the limitations in enforcing resale preferences, he supported the call for improvement.
Ticketmaster has previously allowed artists like Hayley Williams and Chappell Roan to cap resale prices. However, it remains uncertain if Dean was afforded the same privilege.
Legislative Action Against Ticket Scalping
In related news, the U.K. government recently announced intentions to ban the resale of concert and sports tickets above face value, targeting ticket scalping practices. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated, “For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices.”
This legislative move aims to protect consumers and is expected to save fans an estimated £112 million (approximately $146 million) annually. Notable artists such as Coldplay and Dua Lipa have expressed their support for this initiative, highlighting a growing concern over ticket pricing practices in the music industry.
