Olivia Dean wins refunds for fans after criticising Ticketmaster

Olivia Dean has called the concert ticketing business “exploitative” and full of “inequity” after her fans got partial refunds from Ticketmaster and AXS.

The star’s comments come after some resale tickets for his North American tour were priced at 14 times their original face value.

Last week, Starr wrote an open letter to ticketing companies calling the practice “disgusting” and “despicable”, and urging the company to “do better”.

On Wednesday, Ticketmaster announced that it would limit future resale rates for Dean’s tour and was in the process of “refunding fans for any markups already paid to resellers on Ticketmaster.”

“We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” said Michael Rapinoe, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company.

“Although we do not require other marketplaces to respect artists’ reselling preferences, we echo Olivia’s call to ‘do better’ and have taken steps to lead by example.”

Dean, who has become one of this year’s biggest breakout stars – with four songs simultaneously entering the UK Top 20 – urged the music industry to ensure live music remains “accessible to all”.

In a statement shared on their Instagram Story, they said: “The secondary ticket market is an exploitative and unregulated space and as an industry we have a responsibility to protect people and our community.

“Each artist and their team should be given the option to set a resale limit at face value before going on sale (selling tickets) to keep the live music space accessible to all.

“Thank you for your patience and I look forward to seeing all of you real humans on the show.”

Ticketmaster and AXS give artists the ability to limit ticket resale prices, as both Hayley Williams and Chappelle Rhone have done recently, but it appears this option did not come into play when Dean’s tour initially went on sale.

In the UK, the government recently confirmed plans to make it illegal to resell tickets for concerts, theatre, comedy, sports and other live events at prices above their original cost.

The move follows an open letter from some of the biggest names in music, including Coldplay and Dua Lipa, urging the Prime Minister to cut the “extortionate and harmful” prices charged to some fans.

He said the move would “restore confidence in the ticketing system” and “help democratize public access to the arts”.

Dean reiterated those sentiments in a follow-up message on his Instagram page.

“We are very serious about what we do but live is a sacred space that we have created over 10 years,” he wrote.

“We lose money on almost every show, but passionately feel that it is a worthy investment to create a moment for people to connect for an hour and lose themselves. We always do our best to make those spaces safe and accessible for everyone.

“Pimps steal from artists and they steal from fans. They create inequality and paranoia.

“It is your right to limit resale at face value and it is our duty to encourage a fair resale market.

“We are often made to feel like we have no choice, but there is always room to ask why and it is always your right to say no!

“It’s not every day that you feel heard and understood,” she concluded, “so today is a good day.”