Grammy-nominated soul-pop sensation Olivia Dean, off the back of her hit single “Man I Need,” has won the battle against exploitative ticket resale practices. She got partial refunds for fans who overpaid on her North American “The Art of Loving Live” tour tickets. After publicly calling out Ticketmaster and AXS for allowing resale prices up to 14 times face value, the platforms agreed to reimburse the markup difference and cap future resales at original face value. Refunds are processing by December 10, a move to ensure live music is accessible amidst outrage over scalping powered by bots.
Artist’s Bold Stand Sparks Industry Change
Dean sparked the outcry with an open Instagram letter last week, calling secondary markets “disgusting” and “vile” for making live music unaffordable. Her North American tour, with all dates selling out worldwide, reached resale prices of more than $1,000, many times over face value, which encouraged fans to slam bots and profiteers. Ticketmaster implemented its Face Value Exchange, FVE, policy introduced in 2019, which lets artists such as Hayley Williams and Chappell Roan cap resales at the presale stage.
Fan Victory and Future Protections
In the update, Dean celebrated the resolution: Ticketmaster and AXS will refund overpayments and institute face-value caps for the remainder of the tour, encouraging all artists to implement similar protections. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino echoed support, promising to lead the charge on fair pricing despite lack of control over rival platforms. This win is in line with emerging laws banning above-face-value resales for concerts and events.
