GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 1st Oct. British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming tour in India has ignited a police investigation and disappointment among fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for over ₹83,000 each. Thousands of eager music lovers attempted, and failed, to secure tickets for three concerts set to take place in Mumbai next January, sold through the popular Indian ticketing platform BookMyShow.
The tickets, initially priced at ₹6,000, sold out within minutes, only to reappear on resale websites at exorbitant markups. “The tickets are being sold at 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the price that is being sold on the website itself,” expressed 19-year-old student Anna Abraham to AFP. “I wouldn’t feel good about it myself if I knew that I paid for something 30 times more than what I could have paid for.”
Local media reports indicate that BookMyShow’s chief operating officer was questioned by police on Monday following a complaint lodged by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas. He alleged that the ticket vendor was colluding with “black marketeers” to profit from ticket sales. “I checked with nearly 100 people who I know are regulars at concerts; none of them had gotten a ticket,” Vyas stated to the Indian Express newspaper. “This made me suspicious. I then decided to approach the police as I knew that something was amiss.”
In response to the growing public backlash, BookMyShow released a statement asserting it had “no association” with unauthorized ticket sales. “Scalping and black marketing of tickets is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India, and BookMyShow vehemently opposes this practice,” the company emphasized.
The controversies surrounding tickets for major international musical or sporting events are not new. In 2022, US megastar Taylor Swift faced off against Ticketmaster after fans expressed outrage over the ticketing process for her globe-spanning ‘The Eras Tour’. The incident sparked debate over Ticketmaster’s dominant position in the industry amid complaints about hidden fees, rampant scalping, and limited ticket availability due to presales.
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