Ticketmaster Caps Resale Prices for Olivia Dean’s Tour Following ‘Disgusting Service’ Blast
In a bold move that has caught the attention of fans and industry insiders alike, English artist Olivia Dean recently took to social media to express her outrage over exorbitant resale ticket prices for her upcoming 2026 North American tour. On November 21, the day her tour tickets went on sale, Dean’s initial excitement quickly turned to frustration as resale prices surged into the thousands, prompting her to call out Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG Presents. In her Instagram Stories, she condemned the situation, stating, “The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes. Live music should be affordable and accessible and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.” Her passionate plea resonated with many fans who share her concerns about the accessibility of live music.
Responding to the backlash, Ticketmaster announced it would implement measures to address the issue. The company has activated its Face Value Exchange for Dean’s tour, effectively capping resale prices on its platform at the original ticket price, without any additional fees. This initiative aims to ensure that fans can purchase tickets at fair prices directly from the platform. Furthermore, Ticketmaster has committed to refunding fans who were affected by the inflated resale prices, with refunds expected to be processed by December 10. Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, echoed Dean’s sentiment, emphasizing the need for affordable access to live music and stating that they hope their actions will set a precedent for other marketplaces to follow.
Olivia Dean’s rise to fame has been meteoric, fueled by her recent performances, including her debut on “Saturday Night Live” and a successful trip to Australia, where her single “Man I Need” reached No. 1 on the ARIA Chart. With her sophomore album “The Art of Loving” also making waves, debuting at No. 1 in the U.K. and reaching the top five on the Billboard 200, Dean’s popularity is undeniable. Her upcoming tour will kick off in Europe before making its way to North America, where she will perform in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta. As Dean continues to advocate for fair ticket pricing, her actions could pave the way for a more equitable concert-going experience for fans worldwide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ZNZvHmATc
Olivia Dean
spoke, Ticketmaster has taken action.
Last Friday, Nov. 21, the English artist took a moment out of her busy scheduled to lay one on Ticketmaster, Live Nation and AEG Presents for the resale ticket prices to her 2026 North American tour.
Tickets to her
The Art of Loving Tour
went on sale to the general public that day, and sold out in minutes. Though, with some resale prices climbing into the thousands of dollars, Dean had some harsh words.
“@Ticketmaster @Livenation @AEGPresents you are providing a disgusting service,” she wrote on
Instagram Stories
. “The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes. Live music should be affordable and accessible and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.”
Ticketmaster is trying to “do better,” by capping all future ticket resale prices for the tour on its platform and refunding fans for any markup they already paid to resellers on Ticketmaster.
According to a statement from Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, Ticketmaster has activated its Face Value Exchange for the tour, with immediately effect, and without transfer restrictions. That move should ensure that any future ticket sales on its site are capped at the original price paid — with no added fees, the message continues.
Refunds will be processed by Dec. 10, the company insists, though may take additional days to post, depending on individual banks.
“We share Olivia’s desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets,” comments Michael Rapino, CEO, Live Nation Entertainment. “While we can’t require other marketplaces to honor artists’ resale preferences,” Rapino adds, “we echo Olivia’s call to ‘Do Better’ and have taken steps to lead by example. We hope efforts like this help fans afford another show they’ve been considering—or discover someone new.”
The ticketing giant shared some insights into sales for the tour, for which demand was so “high,” the artist added three additional nights at the Madison Square Garden.
After reviewing all sales, reads Ticketmaster’s message, less than 20% of primary tickets were listed for resale — “showing that Olivia’s demand was driven by genuine fans who intend to go to the show rather than resellers out for profit.”
Dean had been opening for
Sabrina Carpenter
on the final leg of the U.S. singer’s
Short n’ Sweet Tour
, and announced her own North American headlining trek earlier in November.
A London native, Dean’s star has been on the rise of late, thanks in part to her
Saturday Night Live
debut Nov. 15, and her subsequent trip to Australia, where she performed an exclusive open-air show in Sydney and at the
2025 ARIA Awards.
That whistlestop trip down under translated immediately into a No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, as “Man I Need” lifted 2-1 for
the very first time.
Dean currently has four tracks on the
Billboard Hot 100,
including “Man I Need” at No. 5. The 26-year-old’s sophomore album
The Art of Loving
is slotted at No. 5 on the
Billboard 200
dated Nov. 22. In her homeland,
The Art Of Loving
debuted at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in October, the same week that “Man I Need” ascended to the summit of the national singles tally.
Dean’s 2026 tour kicks off in the U.K. and Europe, beginning with Glasgow, Scotland, in April, and wraps June 20 in Dublin. Her U.S. summer trek is slated to kick off in San Francisco on July 10, and she’ll be making stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Toronto, Las Vegas, Boston, Houston and finish up in Austin on Aug. 28.
