Olivia Dean won partial refunds for fans attending her tour after the singer slammed Ticketmaster and Live Nation in an open letter over their “disgusting” resale prices.
On Thursday, Ticketmaster released a statement saying that in an effort to support Dean’s “commitment to fair ticket pricing,” it will be moving to cap all future ticket resale prices for her “The Art of Loving Live” tour as well as “refunding fans for any markup they already paid to resellers.”
“We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, said in a statement. “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.”
This all comes after resale tickets for Dean’s tour were listed at more than 14 times their original face value, reaching prices well above $1,000, according to a BBC report.
Last week, Dean apologized to her fans via her Instagram Stories, saying the issue was “extremely frustrating.”
“The last thing I want is for anyone to be scammed or overcharged for our show,” Dean wrote.
Dean also called out Ticketmaster and Live Nation directly in her IG Stories where she stated that the companies are providing a “disgusting service.”
“The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes,” the singer wrote. “Live music should be affordable and accessible and we need to find a new way of making that possible. Be better.”
In response to Ticketmaster’s Wednesday statement, the musician called the ticket market an “exploitative and unregulated space.”
“And we as an industry have a responsibility to protect people and our community,” she said on her Instagram. “Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap resale at face value ahead of [tickets going] on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all … Thank you for your patience and I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show.”
