Ticketmaster refunds fans after Olivia Dean slams ‘exploitative’ marketplace

Olivia Dean has slammed the ticket resale market as “exploitative” after securing partial refunds for fans from Ticketmaster.

The star’s comments come after some resale tickets were reportedly put on ticketing platforms at above face value.

After Ticketmaster agreed to offer fans a partial refund, Dean urged the music industry to “protect people” and “community” by opting to cap re-sale tickets and ensure live music remains “accessible for all”.

In a statement shared on her Instagram story on Thursday, Dean said: “After many conversations with my team, Ticketmaster and AXS have agreed to refund the difference to anyone who has paid over face value for a ticket and will cap all future ticket resale prices to face value for the North American run of the tour.

“Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap re-sale at face value ahead of on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all.

“The secondary ticket market is an exploitative and unregulated space and we as an industry have a responsibility to protect people and our community.

“Thank you for your patience and I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show.

“STOP THE BOTS.”

Ticketmaster announced on Wednesday that it would issue partial refunds for fans who have already purchased resale tickets for the tour and reflect the difference between the original price set by the tour and the price charged by the individual reseller.

It also said the refunds would be processed by December 10.

It comes after ministers confirmed plans to make it illegal for tickets to concerts, theatre, comedy, sport and other live events to be resold for more than their original cost.

Michael Rapino, chief executive at Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company, said: “We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets.

“While we can’t require other marketplaces to honour artists’ resale preferences, we echo Olivia’s call to do better and have taken steps to lead by example.

“We hope efforts like this help fans afford another show they’ve been considering – or discover someone new.”

Earlier this year, a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation was launched into the way Ticketmaster sold Oasis tickets in 2024.

The probe found Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.

Ticketmaster sold some “platinum” tickets at almost two and a half times the price of “standard” tickets, without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits in the same areas of the venue, the CMA said.

In response, the CMA said Ticketmaster must now tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used, as it was for Oasis standing tickets.

Tickets for the band’s reunion gigs, which were their first in 16 years, were also seen listed on secondary ticket resale websites for thousands of pounds.