Fans eagerly awaiting Coldplay’s return to India were shocked to discover tickets being resold online for as much as Ksh1.4 million, prompting police to summon the CEO of the ticket vendor over allegations of fraud.
The British rock band is set to perform three shows in Mumbai in January as part of their “Music Of The Spheres” tour, their first concerts in India since 2016.
Tickets were supposed to go on sale through the official vendor, Book MyShow (BMS), at 12 p.m. local time on September 22. However, many users experienced website and app crashes due to high demand.
When fans were finally able to access the virtual queue, tickets priced between Ksh 4,500 and Ksh 52,500 were available.
However, many were stuck behind hundreds of thousands of users.
Within minutes, tickets sold out and reappeared on other platforms, some being resold for up to Ksh1.6 million, causing outrage over the ticketing process and suspicion of bots purchasing the seats.
Amit Vyas, a lawyer and founding partner of the Mumbai law firm Vertices Partners, was among the disappointed fans.
After being locked out of the system while trying to buy tickets, he filed a complaint with police, accusing the platform of allowing scalpers and third-party websites to resell tickets on the black market.
On Monday, September 30, 2024, Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing summoned BookMyShow CEO Ashish Hemrajani for questioning regarding the alleged black market sale of Coldplay concert tickets.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), BookMyShow denied any involvement with ticket resale platforms or third-party individuals.
The vendor also filed its own complaint with the police, related to the alleged sale of fake tickets on certain platforms.
“Scalping is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India. We have filed a complaint with the authorities and will fully cooperate in the investigation,” BookMyShow said.
Many Coldplay fans, frustrated by the chaotic process, shared their experiences with CNN. Arkatapa Basu, a 26-year-old journalist from Bengaluru, said she was behind 130,000 people in the queue when a third show was announced.
However, when she attempted to join the waitlist, she found 700,000 people ahead of her and gave up.
Ishaan Jhamb, a 22-year-old engineering student from Delhi, said the resale prices were so high that he and his friends decided it would be cheaper to fly to Abu Dhabi for the concert instead.
The ticket-buying process for major concerts has often sparked criticism worldwide. Just last month, the British band Oasis announced a reunion tour, leading to backlash over Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing, which adjusts ticket prices based on demand.
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