Coldplay concert ticket splurge: Who’s really benefitting?

British rock band Coldplay is set for their highly anticipated sophomore performance in India next January. While this marks their first full tour in the country, the band previously visited India in 2016 for the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. Coldplay initially announced a two-day tour for January 18 and 19, 2025, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. However, due to overwhelming demand, a third show was added on January 21.
The tour announcement sent Coldplay fans into a frenzy, with tickets on BookMyShow – the official ticketing partner – selling out within minutes. But what should have been an exciting experience for fans quickly turned into a nightmare. Many fans reported being unable to secure tickets despite doing everything right. So, what went wrong? And more importantly, who truly benefited from this? Spoiler: It wasn’t the fans.
On September 22, tickets for Coldplay’s Mumbai concerts went live at noon. Fans from across the country were ready, logging in with multiple devices to get ahead in the queue. However, as soon as the clock struck noon, BookMyShow’s server crashed for 2–3 minutes, forcing many fans to log out and rejoin the queue. In the blink of an eye, the virtual queue swelled to over 1 million people, with only 50,000 tickets available for each show.
For those who couldn’t snag tickets for January 18 and 19, a third show on January 21 was announced, with tickets going live at 2 pm. But the same problems persisted. And once all three shows sold out, social media buzzed with third-party sites offering tickets at massively inflated prices.
Despite BookMyShow’s policy of limiting ticket purchases to four per account, third-party vendors managed to secure bulk tickets. Websites like Viagogo were found selling tickets for up to 100 times their original price. For example, stand tickets initially priced at Rs 6,500 were listed on Viagogo for Rs 30,000 to Rs 75,000.

While BookMyShow quickly issued a statement warning that tickets bought from unauthorized third-party sites would be invalid, the inflated resale market continued. Even worse, within an hour of the sell-out, individuals on social media began offering their “extra” tickets at inflated prices, exploiting desperate fans. The unchecked transfer of tickets enabled small businesses and individuals to exploit loopholes and profit from the situation.
The issue didn’t stop at unauthorised sites. Many companies, including Spreeh, FinderBridge, and UrbanMatch, were seen offering Coldplay concert tickets as giveaways on social media. Fans were left wondering how these companies secured tickets if regular buyers couldn’t.

The lack of safeguards to prevent bulk buying and the inability to track devices used in multiple purchases is a major concern for fans. Additionally, without any penalty for ticket transfers, small businesses are exploiting the system, leaving loyal fans empty-handed and out of pocket.
While some fans were lucky enough to secure tickets, many were left frustrated. In the end, who really benefited from this mess? Not Coldplay. Not the fans. Instead, third-party scalpers and businesses profiting from inflated ticket sales are the real winners.
Coldplay did announce that a limited number of Infinity Tickets – affordable seats with a surprise seating location – will be available on November 22, 2024, for a few lucky fans. But for now, the concert has become a bittersweet experience for many.
Coldplay, comprising vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion, has been touring as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour since 2022. The band is also set to release a new album, Moon Music, in October 2024.