Coldplay members. Image: Instagram/@coldplay
British rock band Coldplay‘s upcoming tour in India prompted a police investigation after tickets sold out in minutes and were resold online by scalpers for over $11,000.
On Sept. 22, tickets went on sale by the official vendor, BookMyShow (BMS), with more than 700,000 people in queue, but users reported that the website crashed and all tickets were sold out in minutes.
Fans then began to report that tickets started to reappear on unauthorized third-party websites for as much as $11,458, (or P600,000), from the original 2,500 Indian rupees, or $29.81 (P1,600).
New Delhi Television (NDTV) reported that BookMyShow’s chief operating officer (COO) was questioned by the local police after a complaint from Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas, who claimed the executive was working with “black marketers” to milk out on ticket sales.
Vyas, who was among those who lined up in an attempt to buy tickets, told CNN that “no one” in India was able to secure any ticket.
“Not a single person that I know in Mumbai and outside Mumbai—I got so many calls from friends in Delhi—no one got a ticket,” he said, urging authorities to protect fans against bots and other reseller practices.
In a statement on X, BookMyShow asserted it had “no association” with any reselling platform or third-party individual and that it had also filed a complaint with the police.
“Scalping is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India. We have filed a complaint with the police authorities and will provide complete support to them in the investigation of this matter,” they wrote.
As of writing, Coldplay’s three-night shows in Mumbai next year will proceed, and have not yet been cancelled or postponed.
The issue of ticket scalping has become a global problem for the music industry. Recently, ticket vendor Ticketmaster also faced public scrutiny over alleged mishandling of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour concert tickets.
Meanwhile, Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, recently announced that the band will retire after two more albums amid the upcoming release of their 10th, “Moon Music,” on Oct. 4.