Olivia Dean has called out Ticketmaster and Live Nation and forced them to refund fans who have shelled out up to four figure amounts for her gigs.
Dean’s upcoming North American tour sold out within minutes when tickets went on sale on November 21, and as sure as night follows day, tickets soon started appearing on resale sites for amounts in excess of $1,000.
So Dean took to Instagram and vented her fury: “@Ticketmaster @Livenation @AEGPresents you are providing a disgusting service,” she wrote. “The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes. Live music should be affordable and accessible and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIv_Y2RPQ_A
At first, Ticketmaster replied thus, saying: “We support artists’ ability to set the terms of how their tickets are sold and resold. @OliviaDeano, we will cap resale prices on our site at face value and hope other resale sites will follow.”
They subsequently said that they would refund fans for “any markup they already paid to resellers on Ticketmaster.”
This could be a significant moment. Many artists choose not to get involved when stories start circulating of fans ripped off by secondary sites. But Dean’s swift reaction – and Ticketmaster’s equally swift promise to refund – shows they do have the power to act, and really should, if they claim to truly care about their fans.
Her later Instagram post certainly seemed aimed at fellow artists. “Touts steal from artists and they steal from fans. They create inequality and hysteria. I am lucky to have had an education about the complexities and corruption of ticketing from @dicefm and will always choose to partner with them where we can. But know that you have power with other partners."
“Capping resale at face value is your right and we have a duty to encourage a fair resale market. We are often made to feel we don’t have a choice but there is always space to ask why and it is always your right to say no!”
The UK government recently confirmed that it would bring forward legislation to resell tickets at a profit. Until that becomes law (as it surely will – the government have a working majority of 148), it would be nice to think that, by working with other artists, Ticketmaster and Live Nation could ensure that no other fans get ripped off. Though whether those artists are as assiduous as Dean remains to be seen...
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