Olivia Deen fans get refunds from Ticketmaster after singer slams ‘despicable’ resale practices | music

Ticketmaster has given Olivia Deen’s fans partial refunds after the British singer condemned ticket companies for allowing promoters to relist tickets for her North American tour at more than 14 times their face value.

After the tour sold out in minutes on November 21 and tickets appeared on resale sites for prices exceeding $1,000, Dean called out major ticket companies on Instagram: “@Ticketmaster @Livenation @AEGPresents you are providing a disgusting service.” “The prices you are allowing tickets to be resold at are despicable and completely against our desires. Live music should be affordable and accessible, and we need to find a new way to make that possible. Be better.”

Ticketmaster initially responded: “We support artists’ ability to set the terms of how they sell and resell their tickets. @OliviaDeano, we will cap resale prices on our site at face value and hope other resale sites will follow.”

The ticket company later said it was “refunding fans for any price increases they have already paid to sellers on Ticketmaster.”

In a statement, Michael Rapinoe, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company, said: “We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible to everyone and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets. While we cannot ask other markets to respect artists’ resale preferences, we echo Olivia’s call to ‘do better’ and have taken steps to lead by example.”

“Sighers steal from artists and steal from fans. They create inequality and hysteria. I’m fortunate to have been educated on the intricacies and corruption of ticketing from @dicefm and we will always choose to partner with them where we can. But know that you have power with other partners,” Deen then posted on Instagram, addressing in part her fellow artists.

“It is your right to cap resale at face value and we have a duty to encourage a fair resale market. We often feel like we have no choice but there is always room to ask why and it is always your right to say no!”

The UK government recently confirmed it will make it illegal to resell tickets to live entertainment and sporting events for more than their original cost, following pressure from acts such as Coldplay and Dua Lipa.

Dean is the UK’s biggest breakout artist of the year. She has had four singles in the UK Top 20 – chart rules allow only three as a solo artist, but one of them, Rein Me In, is a duet with Sam Fender. Her second album, The Art of Loving, also spent eight weeks in the top five after debuting at number one.