More and more artists are speaking up over the increasingly insane ticket prices for concerts; especially when it comes to resale ticket prices.
The most recent artist is Olivia Dean who had some harsh criticism for Ticketmaster over the “unfair pricing of resale tickets”.
Saying they support Dean, Ticketmaster said they, “desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets.”
Ticketmaster has stated they will cap resale ticket prices for Dean’s “The Art of Loving Live” tour. Furthermore, they will be issuing refunds to fans who have already bought tickets via the resale sight.
In a press release Ticketmaster said, “Ticketmaster has activated a Face Value Exchange for the tour, effectively immediately but without transfer restrictions, to ensure that any future ticket sales on its site are capped at the original price paid — with no added fees. Adding they are, “the first ticketing service to offer a Face Value Exchange in 2019 and continues to offer artists the right to cap resale prices prior to going on sale.”
The press release stated, “fans who purchased resale tickets on Ticketmaster’s website 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.”
Ticketmaster said that all refunds will be processed by December 10; but may take a little longer to post.
Dean posted a note for her fans saying, “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.”
She continued, “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. 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.”