Olivia Dean has secured a major victory in her campaign against inflated ticket resale prices, after Ticketmaster agreed to cap costs for her upcoming tour.
The 26-year-old singer had publicly criticised the ticketing giant days ago, blasting the company for allowing resale prices to soar far beyond face value for her North American The Art of Loving Tour. She urged Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG Presents to “be better.”
She penned on her Instagram Stories: “@Ticketmaster @Livenation @AEGPresents 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.”
In response, Ticketmaster confirmed it has activated its Face Value Exchange for Dean’s tour. Effective immediately, tickets resold through the platform will be limited to their original purchase price, with no added fees. The company also pledged to process refunds for any extra paid by December 10, though it noted that bank processing times may vary.
Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, praised Dean’s stance and said the company shared her commitment to keeping concerts accessible.
He said: “We echo Olivia’s call to ‘Do Better’ and have taken steps to lead by example.
“While we can’t force other marketplaces to follow suit, we hope this move helps fans afford another show they’ve been considering — or discover someone new.”
Dean taking on Ticketmaster comes amid growing frustration among artists and fans over skyrocketing ticket prices.
Rapino recently sparked outrage when he said concert tickets have been “underpriced” for a “long time”.
He said: “Music has been underappreciated.
“In sports, I joke it’s a badge of honour to spend 70 grand for a Knicks courtside [ticket]. They beat me up if we charge $800 for Beyoncé.”
He went on: “We have a lot of runway left. So when you read about ticket prices going up, the average concert price is still $72. Try going to a Laker game for that, and there’s 80 of them. The concert is underpriced and has been for a long time.”
Bleachers star Jack Antonoff – who has worked with huge names including Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter – reacted on X: “this really breaks my heart and is a sick way of looking at it. (sic)”