British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation involving ticketing aggregator BookMyShow and dismayed fans after scalpers bought cheap tickets to resell online for several lakh rupees a piece.
In a statement on Thursday, a BookMyShow spokesperson, said, “In its ongoing fight against ticket scalping and black marketing of tickets for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, BookMyShow has lodged a formal FIR (First Information Report) on October 2, 2024. This action follows our initial complaint filed proactively with the Mumbai Police on September 23, 2024, addressing these concerns much before any formal complaint was raised against us.”
The spokesperson said BookMyShow’s FIR filed with the Mumbai police also urges authorities to investigate the unauthorised resale of tickets by individuals and platforms.
“We have provided details of all resellers that have come to our attention, including independent individuals reselling tickets for this tour across social media platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and beyond, as also digital platforms such as Viagogo, Stubhub Holdings and more, to aid authorities in a thorough investigation,” the statement said. “We remain vigilant in monitoring such instances of ticket reselling for this tour through black market channels and will continue to share all relevant information with the authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken. BookMyShow is assessing potential cancellation of such tickets that are being sold- unethically.”
Coldplay is set to perform in Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21, 2025. The concert will take place in DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The tickets were sold out last month but many social media users resold Coldplay concert tickets at massive prices, with the costliest tickets priced at Rs 7 lakh.
“Our stance remains clear and unchanged – BookMyShow vehemently condemns and opposes ticket reselling which is deemed illegal and is punishable by law in India. BookMyShow has no association with any such unauthorised ticket-selling/reselling platforms and/or any third party individuals/platforms for the purpose of reselling Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India,” said the statement. “Right from the beginning, we have been working closely with the police and regulatory authorities to provide complete support and cooperation in the investigation of this matter in any manner that may be required. Our authorised representatives and senior management have been available as required by the authorities, ensuring full transparency in sharing all necessary information with the EOW (Economic Offences Wing). We would also like to clarify that Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India will proceed as planned. Reports contrary to this are factually incorrect.”
BookMyShow’s chief operating officer was questioned by police on Monday after a complaint brought by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas, who claimed the vendor was working with “black marketeers” to make an extra windfall on ticket sales.
“With 13 million (1.3 crore) fans eager to get tickets and logged in, emotions ran high on September 22, 2024. As the promoter and official ticketing platform bringing Coldplay to India, we at BookMyShow have worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, by pricing them affordably as also capping purchase at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels,” the company’s statement said. “We remain committed to ensuring a fair and genuine experience for all our consumers.”
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