Live Nation and Ticketmaster Respond to Olivia Dean’s Ticket Pricing Concerns
British musician Olivia Dean recently criticized ticketing companies for allowing overpriced ticket resales to her upcoming concerts. In response, Live Nation and Ticketmaster announced measures to address the issue by enforcing a Face Value Exchange (FVE) policy for Dean’s upcoming The Art of Loving Live tour. This policy restricts ticketholders from reselling tickets above their original purchase price.
Furthermore, Ticketmaster and Live Nation have committed to partially refunding fans who have already purchased resale tickets, reimbursing them for the price difference between the inflated resale cost and the ticket’s face value. This move, described as a unique response to the ongoing criticism, aims to ensure fair pricing for concert attendees.
Dean took to Instagram to express her frustration with the exorbitant prices of resale tickets for her 2026 tour, highlighting concerns about ticket reselling practices. She specifically called out Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG Presents for allowing tickets to be resold at inflated prices, emphasizing the importance of affordable and accessible live music experiences for fans.
Live Nation’s decision to implement a sale cap and offer refunds aligns with Dean’s advocacy for fair ticket pricing. This action follows a previous pricing error that resulted in some presale tickets for Dean’s shows being listed at significantly higher prices than intended. The company attributed this issue to a typo and assured automatic refunds for customers who purchased tickets at incorrect prices.
Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, emphasized the company’s support for accessible live music experiences and echoed Dean’s call for improvement in ticketing practices. The company also revealed that the majority of ticket purchases were made by genuine fans, with less than 20% of tickets later appearing on resale platforms.
In response to the backlash, Ticketmaster introduced the Face Value Exchange program, allowing artists to set pricing limits to minimize scalping and ensure fair ticket distribution to fans. Artists such as Oasis, Billie Eilish, Hozier, Ethel Cain, and Neil Young have utilized this program in the past for their concert tours.
The recent developments reflect growing scrutiny on ticketing companies like Ticketmaster for their role in facilitating high-priced ticket resales. Amidst calls for increased regulation, governments, including the UK, have proposed legislation to curb ticket scalping practices and protect consumers from inflated resale prices.
The collaboration between Olivia Dean, Ticketmaster, and Live Nation to cap resale prices and refund fans underscores a collective effort to promote transparency and fairness in the live music industry.