"none of them had gotten a ticket.”
Indian police have launched an investigation into ticket scalping following the announcement of Coldplay’s upcoming shows in Mumbai.
The British band, set to perform in January 2025 as part of their world tour, created a buzz among music fans in India.
The public was eager to secure tickets for the much-anticipated event.
This will mark Coldplay’s first performance in India since 2016. The excitement surged as millions of fans flooded the ticketing website BookMyShow.
However, the rush to buy tickets led to immediate frustration when tickets sold out within minutes.
The situation escalated when tickets began reappearing on unauthorised third-party websites, being resold for exorbitant prices.
The resale amounts were up to Rs. 85,000 (£760).
The controversy caught the attention of local authorities after a complaint was filed by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas.
He claimed BookMyShow was colluding with “black marketers” to profit from the ticket sales.
The lawyer said: “I checked with nearly 100 people who I know are regulars at concerts, none of them had gotten a ticket.”
Amit’s concerns prompted him to approach the police for further investigation.
In response to the public outcry, BookMyShow issued a statement emphasising that it had “no association” with unauthorised ticket sales.
The company condemned the practice of scalping and black marketing, declaring it “strictly condemned and punishable by law in India”.
They reiterated their commitment to combatting this issue, which has become a significant concern for the music industry worldwide.
However, the public claims BookMyShow isn’t doing enough to cope with the resale problem.
A user wrote: “If the ticket scalping is illegal, and you’re the source of the purchase – what are you doing to manage these illegal sales?
“How did so many scalpers and reseller even get their hands on them?”
Another said: “The audacity to ask for 60k for a 2.5k ticket is embarrassing.
“The band made these prices accessible for more people to be able to join in.”
One questioned: “What are you doing to combat this as the official sales partner???”
While reselling tickets through unauthorised channels is illegal in India, enforcement of these laws remains lax, allowing scalping to persist largely unchecked.
The problem has become a global issue, frustrating fans who often find themselves priced out of events due to inflated resale prices.
As the investigation unfolds, fans are hoping that strict measures will be put in place to ensure fair access to tickets for events.
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