Ticketmaster Caps Olivia Dean Resale Prices and Issues Refunds After Singer’s Criticism
Ticketmaster is implementing new limits on resale prices and issuing refunds to fans after Olivia Dean publicly criticized major ticketing companies for allowing inflated markups on seats to her 2026 Art of Loving tour. The move marks one of the most direct and immediate responses Ticketmaster has made to an artist’s public complaint about pricing practices.
Dean raised the issue on Nov. 21 through Instagram, where she called out Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG for what she described as “vile” and “disgusting” resale prices that were appearing only hours after tickets went on sale. “Live music should be affordable and accessible,” she wrote, urging companies to “be better.” In a second post, she told fans her team was already looking into the situation, noting her frustration and warning fans to avoid comment-section ticket resellers, which she said were likely scams.
By Nov. 26, Ticketmaster issued a formal response announcing two significant measures: all resale tickets for Dean’s tour sold on Ticketmaster’s platform will be capped at face value, and fans who already paid resale markups will receive partial refunds. The announcement appeared in a detailed post on the company’s website titled Ticketmaster Supports Olivia Dean’s Commitment to Fair Ticket Pricing and Takes Action to Cap Resale for ‘The Art of Loving Live’ Tour on Its Site.
Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, reiterated the company’s support for price fairness. “We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” Rapino said. He acknowledged the limitations of enforcing policies on third-party resale platforms but emphasized Ticketmaster’s intention to “lead by example.” He added that he hopes measures like these “help fans afford another show they’ve been considering or discover someone new.”
Ticketmaster’s review of the tour’s sales data found that fewer than 20 percent of primary tickets were listed for resale, suggesting most early buyers were genuine fans rather than brokers. Still, the company committed to absorbing the cost of refunding the difference between original ticket prices and the higher prices fans paid on Ticketmaster’s own resale marketplace.
According to the announcement, refunds will be issued in early December and processed by Dec. 10, though the exact posting time will depend on individual banks. Ticketmaster noted that while it does not profit from resale markups, those funds go to the resellers, it chose to absorb the loss to support Dean’s position and ease the financial burden on fans.
Dean’s North American tour is scheduled to begin in July in San Francisco and conclude in Austin in August. The quick action from Ticketmaster marks a rare instance of an artist directly influencing policy changes at a major ticketing company, at least for the duration of a single tour. It also arrives amid ongoing industry scrutiny over dynamic pricing, secondary market markups, and the concentration of power held by a few dominant promoters and ticketing platforms.
While Dean has not issued a follow-up statement since Ticketmaster’s changes were announced, her criticism reflects a growing number of artists who have publicly challenged the economics of live performance. As the 2026 tour approaches, the effectiveness of Ticketmaster’s new measures and whether other resale platforms follow suit, as the company has urged, will likely remain a point of attention among both fans and industry observers.
