Coldplay Ticket Prices Hit ₹7 Lakh: Fans Question BookMyShow

Grammy-winning rock band Coldplay is set to perform in Mumbai in January 2025 as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. Months before the scheduled shows, fans are already flooding virtual ticket platforms. Originally planned for two performances, the overwhelming love from Indian fans prompted Coldplay to add a third show on January 21, following their earlier dates on January 18 and 19.

Ticket Prices Surge to ₹7 Lakh on Resale Platforms

Despite the additional show, thousands of fans were left disappointed after tickets on BookMyShow (BMS), the official ticket partner, sold out rapidly. Meanwhile, resale platforms like Viagogo have listed tickets at exorbitant markups, with some reaching up to ₹7 lakh.

According to reports, tickets for the January 18 concert, which originally ranged from ₹5,000 to ₹35,000, are now being resold at inflated prices, with lounge tickets that were initially priced at ₹35,000 now going for as high as ₹7 lakh. In one extreme case, a Level 1 ticket has been listed for an astronomical ₹7.7 lakh.

BookMyShow Warns Against Unauthorized Resale

In response to the price gouging, BookMyShow issued a warning, advising fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorized reselling platforms. On September 22, BMS posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "It has come to our attention that unauthorized platforms are listing tickets for Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. These tickets are invalid. Ticket scalping is illegal in India and punishable by law."

Fans Blame BookMyShow for Ticket Shortage

Despite the warning, many fans have expressed frustration with BookMyShow, accusing the platform of enabling scalpers by not tying tickets to customer IDs. This allowed anyone to purchase tickets and resell them at inflated prices. Several users on X alleged that tickets were being reserved for high-profile individuals, influencers, and employees, creating a severe shortage for regular fans.

One user wrote, "The official partner (BMS) kept back God knows how many tickets for their employees, influencers, politicians, and celebs. As soon as tickets went live, they were listed on resale platforms at 20-30x the price-this wouldn't be possible without BMS being involved."

Another fan questioned, "How does @viagogo get Coldplay tickets at the same time as @bookmyshow but at black market prices several times higher? There's clearly a nexus here."

Thousands of fans who couldn't secure tickets have criticized the virtual queue system on BMS, which was based on session IDs rather than customer IDs, contributing to the frustration.