Online ticketing giant BookMyShow has lodged a police complaint regarding the resale of tickets for its exclusive concert, ‘Coldplay: Music Of The Spheres World Tour’.
In a statement, BookMyShow clarified that it has no affiliation with ticket selling or reselling platforms like Viagogo, Gigsberg, or any other third-party individuals involved in reselling tickets for the Coldplay concert.
“The͏͏ practice͏͏ of͏͏ scalping͏͏ is͏͏ strictly͏͏ condemned͏͏ and͏͏ punishable͏͏ by͏͏ law͏͏ in͏͏ India.͏͏ We͏͏ have͏͏ submitted͏͏ a͏͏ complaint͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ police͏͏ and͏͏ will͏͏ fully͏͏ support͏͏ them͏͏ in͏͏ their͏͏ investigation͏͏ of͏͏ this͏͏ matter,”͏͏ stated͏͏ the͏͏ ticketing͏͏ platform.
Concert͏͏ Tickets͏͏ Sell͏͏ Out͏͏ in͏͏ Minutes͏͏ Amid͏͏ High͏͏ Demand:
Tickets͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ concert͏͏ became͏͏ available͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ platform͏͏ on͏͏ Sunday͏͏ (September͏͏ 22)͏͏ at͏͏ 1:30͏͏ PM͏͏ and͏͏ sold͏͏ out͏͏ within͏͏ minutes.͏͏ The͏͏ overwhelming͏͏ demand͏͏ caused͏͏ BookMyShow’s͏͏ platform͏͏ to͏͏ crash,͏͏ resulting͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ public͏͏ outcry͏͏ on͏͏ social͏͏ media.
Ticket͏͏ prices͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ concert͏͏ started͏͏ at͏͏ INR͏͏ 12,500,͏͏ but͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ mentioned͏͏ reselling͏͏ platforms,͏͏ tickets͏͏ are͏͏ being͏͏ sold͏͏ for͏͏ as͏͏ high͏͏ as͏͏ INR͏͏ 4͏͏ lakh.͏͏ Soon͏͏ after͏͏ the͏͏ ticket͏͏ sale͏͏ went͏͏ live,͏͏ BookMyShow͏͏ issued͏͏ a͏͏ statement͏͏ indicating͏͏ that͏͏ concert͏͏ tickets͏͏ were͏͏ being͏͏ listed͏͏ on͏͏ these͏͏ platforms͏͏ both͏͏ before͏͏ and͏͏ after͏͏ their͏͏ official͏͏ release.
This͏͏ comes͏͏ as͏͏ BookMyShow͏͏ remains͏͏ optimistic͏͏ about͏͏ exclusive͏͏ international͏͏ events͏͏ due͏͏ to͏͏ strong͏͏ demand.͏͏ Earlier͏͏ this͏͏ month,͏͏ it͏͏ was͏͏ reported͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ acquired͏͏ exclusive͏͏ rights͏͏ to͏͏ host͏͏ the͏͏ ‘Sunburn͏͏ Festival’͏͏ for͏͏ several͏͏ hundred͏͏ crores͏͏ a͏͏ few͏͏ years͏͏ ago,͏͏ which͏͏ has͏͏ largely͏͏ proven͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ a͏͏ profitable͏͏ investment.
Zomato Live͏͏ Takes͏͏ Legal͏͏ Action:
Another͏͏ major͏͏ concert͏͏ attracting͏͏ similar͏͏ audience͏͏ interest͏͏ to͏͏ Coldplay’s͏͏ is͏͏ Diljit͏͏ Dosanjh’s͏͏ ‘Dil-luminati͏͏ Tour͏͏ –͏͏ India’,͏͏ exclusive͏͏ to͏͏ Zomato͏͏ Live.͏͏ Tickets͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ October͏͏ 26͏͏ show͏͏ in͏͏ Delhi͏͏ also͏͏ sold͏͏ out͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ comparable͏͏ timeframe͏͏ and͏͏ are͏͏ currently͏͏ available͏͏ on͏͏ reselling͏͏ platforms.
While͏͏ ticket͏͏ prices͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ sold-out͏͏ show͏͏ started͏͏ at͏͏ INR͏͏ 12,999,͏͏ they͏͏ are͏͏ currently͏͏ listed͏͏ on͏͏ Viagogo͏͏ for͏͏ as͏͏ much͏͏ as͏͏ INR͏͏ 53,000.͏͏ According͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ report͏͏ by͏͏ Business͏͏ Standard,͏͏ Zomato’s͏͏ ticketing͏͏ platform,͏͏ Zomato͏͏ Live,͏͏ has͏͏ issued͏͏ a͏͏ legal͏͏ notice͏͏ to͏͏ Viagogo͏͏ for͏͏ selling͏͏ tickets͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ Dosanjh͏͏ concert.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Paytm͏͏ to͏͏ sell͏͏ entertainment͏͏ ticketing͏͏ business͏͏ to͏͏ Zomato for͏͏ INR͏͏ 2,048͏͏ Cr͏͏ in͏͏ all-cash͏͏ deal
Additionally,͏͏ Zomato͏͏ Live͏͏ has͏͏ filed͏͏ cybercrime͏͏ complaints͏͏ against͏͏ several͏͏ other͏͏ secondary͏͏ ticket-selling͏͏ platforms͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ unauthorized͏͏ sale͏͏ of͏͏ tickets,͏͏ a͏͏ source͏͏ informed͏͏ the͏͏ publication.
This͏͏ follows͏͏ Zomato’s͏͏ recent͏͏ announcement͏͏ of͏͏ an͏͏ in-house͏͏ ticket͏͏ reselling͏͏ platform.͏͏ On͏͏ August͏͏ 27,͏͏ Zomato͏͏ introduced͏͏ the͏͏ ‘Book͏͏ Now,͏͏ Sell͏͏ Anytime’͏͏ feature,͏͏ allowing͏͏ users͏͏ to͏͏ list͏͏ their͏͏ tickets͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ app͏͏ for͏͏ sale͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ price͏͏ lower͏͏ or͏͏ higher͏͏ than͏͏ their͏͏ original͏͏ purchase͏͏ price.͏͏ The͏͏ platform͏͏ is͏͏ scheduled͏͏ to͏͏ go͏͏ live͏͏ on͏͏ its͏͏ app͏͏ from͏͏ September͏͏ 30,͏͏ beginning͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ ‘Zomato͏͏ Feeding͏͏ India͏͏ Concert’.
Meanwhile,͏͏ Zomato͏͏ is͏͏ gearing͏͏ up͏͏ to͏͏ launch͏͏ a͏͏ separate͏͏ ticketing͏͏ app͏͏ called͏͏ ‘District’͏͏ to͏͏ compete͏͏ with͏͏ BookMyShow.͏͏ In͏͏ August,͏͏ Zomato͏͏ acquired͏͏ Paytm’s͏͏ movie͏͏ and͏͏ events͏͏ ticketing͏͏ business͏͏ for͏͏ INR͏͏ 2,048͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ an͏͏ all-cash͏͏ deal.
