“We echo Olivia’s call to ‘Do Better’ and have taken steps to lead by example,” said Live Nation’s CEO.
In response to singer Olivia Dean’s criticism that Ticketmaster had allowed “vile” resale prices for her The Art of Loving tour set to begin next year, the company has announced that is capping future resale rates with no added fees for Dean’s trek and “refunding fans for any markup they already paid to resellers on Ticketmaster.”
Dean’s criticisms came on Nov. 21, when she wrote on her Instagram story, “[Ticketmaster], [Live Nation], [AEG]: You are providing a disgusting service. 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.” She followed that post with another, writing that her team is looking into the “extremely frustrating” issue with ticket pricing. Ticketmaster’s announcement that they would heed Dean’s call arrived on Nov. 26 in a post on their website titled “Ticketmaster Supports Olivia Dean’s Commitment to Fair Ticket Pricing and Takes Action to Cap Resale for ‘The Art of Loving Live’ Tour on Its Site.”
“We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” said Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment said in the post. “While we can’t require other marketplaces to honor 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.”
The post also detailed Ticketmaster’s analysis of The Art of Loving resale prevalence and how the refund process would work for those who were upsold. “After reviewing all sales, less than 20% of primary tickets were listed for resale—showing that Olivia’s demand was driven by genuine fans who intend to go to the show rather than resellers out for profit,” it said.
“In early December, fans who purchased resale tickets on Ticketmaster will receive partial refunds reflecting the difference between the original tour price and the higher price charged by the reseller. Ticketmaster does not receive the markup on those tickets but is stepping in to absorb this refund cost for fans. Refunds will be processed by December 10 and may take a few additional days to post, depending on individual banks.”
Dean’s North American tour is due to begin in San Francisco in July and finish in Austin in August.
