Presale tickets for Olivia Dean’s 2026 tour quickly sold out on November 18. But a typo on many Ticketmaster listings caused prices to skyrocket 1300%. Fans vented on social media about improbably huge virtual queues, speculating that they were mostly bots and scalpers.
Shortly after the fiasco, Dean addressed the price spike, urging Ticketmaster to “be better” in a social media statement. She tagged Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG in an Instagram story, then condemned them for “providing a disgusting service.”
“The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes,” she continued. “Live music should be affordable and accessible and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.”
In a recent statement, Dean announced partial refunds for fans who bought overcharged resale tickets. She secured refunds for purchases made through Ticketmaster and AXS. She will also cap ticket prices for her North American tour dates at face value.
“Every artist and their team should be granted the option to cap re-sale at face value ahead of on sale, to keep the live music space accessible for all,” she wrote on social media. “The secondary ticket market is an exploitative and unregulated space and we as an industry have a responsibility to protect people and our community.”
Olivia Dean Speaks Out Against Unfair Ticketmaster Practices, Reassures Fans of Future Prices
Olivia Dean continued in her social post, “Thank you for your patience and I’m looking forward to seeing all you real humans at the show.”
In an additional post on her Instagram stories, Dean shared her thoughts about the resale market and unfair pricing. She also stated that she feels lucky to have learned early about ticket pricing and the reality of touring. The post highlighted the platform Dice.fm, with which she tries to partner when booking tours as often as possible. She seemed to aim her words at fellow artists, urging them to work with other platforms.
“Know that you have power with other partners,” she wrote. “Capping resale at face value is your right and we have a duty to encourage a fair resale market.”
She continued, “We are often made to feel we don’t have a choice but there is always space to ask why and it’s always your right to say no!”
In response to the news, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino—who said two months ago that live music is “underpriced and has been for a long time”—said that he agreed with Olivia Dean’s stance on ticket pricing.
“We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” said Rapino, according to BBC News. “While we can’t require other marketplaces to honour artists’ resale preferences, we echo Olivia’s call to ‘do better’ and have taken steps to lead by example.”
Photo by Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
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