New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Bangalore in connection with illegal sale of tickets for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour and Diljit Dosanjh’s Dilluminati concert.

Ticketing partners for the shows BookMyShow and Zomato Live were reported to have sold out tickets for both concerts within minutes, leading to alleged black marketing of tickets. Several complaints of fraud through fake ticket sales and resale of tickets at exorbitant prices were also received. Several FIRs have been filed in many states in this regard.

BookMyShow too has filed complaints against several suspects.

The Enforcement Directorate initiative a probe into the money laundering angle and conducted raids at more than 13 location in five cities on October 25. During the raid, incriminating materials like mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards were seized. The probe also found that fake tickets were being sold using Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram.

The searches were aimed at investigating the illegal sales of tickets, financial networks supporting these scams, and tracing the proceeds of crime generated from such illegal activities, it said.

The Coldplay concert is slated to be held in Mumbai on January 18,19 and 21, 2025. Meanwhile, Diljit Dosanjh’s Dilluminati India tour will begin from Delhi on October 26 and 27. He will then take his tour to various cities, including Jaipur on November 2, Hyderabad on November 15, Ahmedabad on November 17 and Lucknow on November 22, among others, before concluding in Guwahati on December 29.

New Delhi:

BookMyShow might cancel Coldplay tickets that were “sold unethically”. The online aggregator filed a First Information Report or FIR on Wednesday against scalping and black marketing of tickets for the highly-anticipated concert in Mumbai and said that it was monitoring “instances of ticket reselling for this tour through black market channels”.

“Our stance remains clear and unchanged – BookMyShow vehemently condemns and opposes ticket reselling which is deemed illegal and is punishable by law in India,” it said.

It reiterated that it has no association with any such “unauthorised ticket-selling/reselling platforms and/or any third-party individuals/platforms for the purpose of reselling Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India”.

The FIR has been filed days after the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police interrogated BookMyShow executives over an alleged scam involving the sale of the tickets.

The platform said it addressed all concerns “much before any formal complaint was raised against us”.

“We have provided details of all resellers that have come to our attention, including independent individuals reselling tickets for this tour across social media platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and beyond, as also digital platforms such as Viagogo, Stubhub Holdings and more, to aid authorities in a thorough investigation,” it added.

The band has three shows at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21 next year as part of its “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025”. The ticket sale hit controversy after concerns were raised about ticketing scams as millions of fans scrambled for a limited number of tickets. The shows were sold out in minutes.

Those who missed out were infuriated when they saw tickets worth Rs 6,000- appear on resale websites at inflated prices.

BookMyShow has been insisting it had “no association” with unauthorised ticket selling since it received a massive public backlash and its executives got summoned for questioning.. 

“As the promoter and official ticketing platform bringing Coldplay to India, we at BookMyShow have worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, by pricing them affordably as also capping purchase at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels. We remain committed to ensuring a fair and genuine experience for all our consumers,” BookMyShow asserted.

The company also clarified that Coldplay’s performances in India will proceed as planned. “Reports contrary to this are factually incorrect,” it said.

Mumbai:

British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation and dismayed fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for more than Rs 83000 a piece.

Thousands of music fans tried and failed to buy tickets for three concerts scheduled in the financial hub Mumbai next January, sold by the popular Indian online ticket portal BookMyShow. 

All three shows sold out in minutes, and those who missed out were infuriated when they saw tickets worth Rs. 6,000- appear on resale websites at vastly inflated prices.

“The tickets are being sold at 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the price that is being sold on the website itself,” student Anna Abraham, 19, told AFP. 

“I wouldn’t feel good about it myself if I knew that I paid for something 30 times more than what I could have paid for.”

Local media reports said BookMyShow’s chief operating officer was questioned by police Monday after a complaint brought by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas, who claimed the vendor was working with “black marketeers” to make an extra windfall on ticket sales. 

“I checked with nearly 100 people who I know are regulars at concerts, none of them had gotten a ticket,” Vyas said, according to the Indian Express newspaper. 

“This made me suspicious. I then decided to approach the police as I knew that something was amiss.”

BookMyShow issued a statement after the public backlash began last week, saying it had “no association” with unauthorised ticket selling. 

“Scalping and black marketing of tickets is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India and BookMyShow vehemently opposes this practice,” the company said. 

Controversies surrounding tickets for major international musical or sporting events are not new.

US megastar Taylor Swift lashed out at Ticketmaster in 2022 following fan anger over sales to concerts staged for her globe-spanning ‘The Eras Tour’.

The debacle sparked debate over the Ticketmaster’s privileged position in the industry amid fan complaints of hidden fees, rampant ticket scalping and limited tickets due to presales.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)

New Delhi:

BookMyShow chief executive officer and co-founder Ashish Hemrajani and the company’s technical head have been issued fresh summons over the alleged black marketing of tickets for the concert by British rock band Coldplay. The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which had earlier called them for questioning on Saturday, has now asked them to appear before an investigating officer today.

According to sources, both of them are not in touch with the police.

The police have initiated a probe on the complaint of an advocate, Amit Vyas, who accused the ticketing platform of facilitating the black marketing of tickets for the Coldplay concert at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium from January 19 to 21 next year.

Mr Vyas has alleged that Coldplay’s India tour tickets, which were originally priced at Rs 2,500, are being resold by third parties and influencers for as much as Rs 3 lakh.

He alleged that BookMyShow deceived the public and Coldplay fans, and is seeking a case to be registered against the company on fraud charges.

The police have already recorded Mr Vyas’ statement and have identified several brokers involved in the alleged ticket scalping.

BookMyShow had crashed when the sale of tickets for Coldplay’s India concert began on September 22.

The British rock band, which is returning to India after an eight-year hiatus, had then added a third show to the Mumbai leg of the “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025”.

BookMyShow On Coldplay’s India Concert

As the issue of “fake” tickets for the Coldplay concert snowballed, the BookMyShow said it has no association with any unauthorised ticket-selling or reselling platforms and has also filed a police complaint.

The ticketing platform also claimed that it took a number of steps to ensure that all genuine fans had a fair chance to secure tickets for the British pop-rock band’s concerts and warned against buying passes from unauthorised sources, saying that they may be invalid or fake.

“With 13 million (1.3 crore) fans eager to get tickets and logged in, emotions ran high on September 22 on BookMyShow for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. At BookMyShow, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, capping it at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels,” a BookMyShow spokesperson said.

The company said the queueing system was put in place to manage the high demand and while that may have caused a brief delay, it ensured “minimal disruption” for genuine fans. It also pointed out that a third show was added, which got a great response.

“It came to our notice however that unauthorised platforms listed – and are continuing to list – tickets…both before and after the official sale. BookMyShow has no association with any such unauthorised ticket selling/reselling platforms including but not limited to Viagogo and Gigsberg or third-party individuals for the purpose of reselling Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that BookMyShow opposes the practice of scalping and black-marketing of tickets, which is punishable by law, and said that the company has filed a complaint with the police.

“We have not only filed a complaint with the police authorities but are also proactively working with them to provide complete support in the investigation of this matter in any manner that may be required. To our consumers, we would like to reiterate that any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at their own risk and may likely be invalid or fake tickets,” the spokesperson warned.

Mumbai:

A day after BookMyShow’s CEO and technical head were summoned by the Mumbai Police over the alleged black-marketing of tickets for Coldplay’s concerts in Navi Mumbai in January, the company has said it has no association with any unauthorised ticket-selling or reselling platforms and has also filed a police complaint. 

BookMyShow has also claimed that it took a number of steps to ensure that all genuine fans had a fair chance to secure tickets for the British pop-rock band’s concerts and warned against buying passes from unauthorised sources, saying that they may be invalid or fake.

The Mumbai Police’s summons to BookMyShow CEO and co-founder Ashish Hemrajani and its technical head were issued on Friday after a complaint by an advocate, who had alleged that the platform had facilitated the black-marketing of the tickets for Coldplay’s concerts as part of the Music Of The Spheres World Tour, which will be held in Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium between January 19 and 21. 

A Mumbai Police official said Mr Hemrajani and the technical head did not honour the summons and appear before them on Saturday, giving no explanation. He said a fresh summons would now be issued. 

In his complaint, advocate Amit Vyas said the tickets priced at Rs 2,500 were being sold on some websites and by some individuals for as high as Rs 3 lakh and sought a case of fraud against BookMyShow.

The platform’s website had crashed before the sale of the tickets began on September 22 and some people said their number in the queue was 5 lakh plus when the site came back online and tickets could be purchased.

‘Fair Chance’

A BookMyShow spokesperson said, “With 13 million (1.3 crore) fans eager to get tickets and logged in, emotions ran high on September 22nd on BookMyShow for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India. At BookMyShow, we’ve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, capping it at 4 tickets per user across all shows, providing clear, step-by-step booking guides and maintaining transparent communication through all our official channels.”

The company said the queueing system was put in place to manage the high demand and while that may have caused a brief delay, it ensured “minimal disruption” for genuine fans. It also pointed out that a third show was added, which got a great response. 

“It came to our notice however that unauthorised platforms listed – and are continuing to list – tickets…both before and after the official sale. BookMyShow has no association with any such unauthorised ticket selling/reselling platforms including but not limited to Viagogo and Gigsberg or third-party individuals for the purpose of reselling Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India,” the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson added that BookMyShow opposes the practice of scalping and black-marketing of tickets, which is punishable by law, and said that the company has filed a complaint with the police. 

“We have not only filed a complaint with the police authorities but are also proactively working with them to provide complete support in the investigation of this matter in any manner that may be required. To our consumers, we would like to reiterate that any tickets bought from unauthorised sources will be at their own risk and may likely be invalid or fake tickets,” the spokesperson warned. 

Mumbai:

The BookMyShow chief executive officer and co-founder Ashish Hemrajani and the company’s technical head have been summoned by Mumbai Police over the alleged black marketing of tickets for shows of British rock band Coldplay, an official said on Friday. The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has initiated a probe on the complaint of an advocate, who accused the ticketing platform of facilitating the black marketing of tickets for the Coldplay concert at the Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, scheduled to be held from January 19 to 21, 2025.

Mr Hemrajani and the BookMyShow’s technical head have been asked to record their statements on Saturday, the official said.

The advocate, Amit Vyas, filed a police complaint and alleged that Coldplay’s India tour tickets, which were originally priced at Rs 2,500, are being resold by third parties and influencers for as much as Rs 3 lakh.

He alleged that BookMyShow deceived the public and Coldplay fans, and is seeking a case to be registered against the company on fraud charges.

The EOW has already recorded Mr Vyas’ statement and has identified several brokers involved in the alleged ticket scalping.

Uddhav Camp On “Black-Marketing” Of Coldplay India Concert Tickets

The Opposition Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) said that there appears to be a “nexus engaged in the black-marketing” of tickets for the Coldplay India concert, and demanded a thorough investigation into the case.

“The tickets were reportedly sold out within minutes of being made available online, which left many genuine fans disappointed… It appears that there may be a nexus engaged in the black-marketing of tickets, exploiting the enthusiasm of young fans who are willing to spend large amounts of their parents’ hard-earned money to attend this concert,” Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“I believe that with your intervention, appropriate measures can be taken to prevent such incidents,” he told Mr Shinde.

A member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also alleged the organisers of the Coldplay India concert were “engaged” in the black marketing of the tickets.

“Whoever is involved in this matter should be in jail. We will not allow any black marketing in the state,” BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam said.

BookMyShow had crashed when the sale for Coldplay’s Mumbai concert began on September 22. The British rock band, which will return to India after an eight-year hiatus, had then added a third show to the Mumbai leg of the “Music of the Spheres World Tour 2025”.

New Delhi:

Ticketing site BookMyShow crashed today just seconds before sale for Coldplay’s Mumbai concert began. Coldplay will be bringing their much-anticipated Music Of The Spheres World Tour to India, and tickets for the band’s Mumbai concert go on sale today.

The iconic British rock band will perform at D.Y. Patil Sports Stadium on January 18 and 19, 2025.

Coldplay is set to return to India after an eight-year hiatus, and fans are ecstatic. The band’s highly anticipated concert announcement has generated immense excitement, with promoters promising an “extraordinary experience” for attendees.

The concert will feature a mix of hits from their acclaimed album “Music of the Spheres,” including new singles “We Pray” and “feelslikeimfallinginlove,” alongside beloved classics like “Yellow,” “Fix You,” and “Viva La Vida.” The show will boast stunning visuals, with lasers, fireworks, and LED displays.

The “Music of the Spheres World Tour” has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its launch in March 2022, with upcoming shows in Abu Dhabi, Seoul, and Hong Kong.

Coldplay’s new album, “Moon Music,” releases on October 4, 2024, and aims to set new sustainability standards in the music industry, with vinyls made from 100% recycled plastic. Lead vocalist Chris Martin reflected on the album’s theme, saying, “Maybe love is the best response” to global conflicts.

This marks Coldplay’s second performance in India, following their 2016 appearance at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. The band, formed in 1997, comprises Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion. Some of their biggest hits include “A Sky Full of Stars,” “Don’t Panic,” “Viva La Vida,” and “In My Place.”

South African comedian Trevor Noah cancelled his shows in Bengaluru citing “technical issues” on Wednesday. The comedian apologised to the fans and said that the money would be refunded. Now, BookMyShow has issued an apology for cancelling the show last minute.

The ticket-booking app took to ‘X’ formerly Twitter on Wednesday and wrote, “Bengaluru, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused at Trevor Noah’s Off The Record show at Manpho Convention Centre on September 27th. The Bengaluru leg of the India Tour for both September 27th & 28th stands cancelled. All customers who purchased tickets for both shows will get a complete refund within 8-10 working days. We deeply regret this experience that our valuable customers faced and hope to be able to bring Trevor back to this amazing city at the earliest.”

See the post here:

Bengaluru, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused at Trevor Noah’s Off The Record show at Manpho Convention Centre on September 27th. The Bengaluru leg of the India Tour for both September 27th & 28th stands cancelled. All customers who purchased tickets for both…

— BookMyShow (@bookmyshow) September 27, 2023

Mr Noah also took to his X account on Wednesday evening and expressed his apologies for causing ”inconvenience and disappointment” to his fans. His tweet read, ”Dear Bengaluru India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues, we’ve been forced to cancel both shows.

”We tried everything but because the audience can’t hear the comedians on stage there’s literally no way to do a show. We’ll make sure all ticket holders receive a full refund and again I’m so sorry for both the inconvenience and disappointment this has never happened to us before,” he added.

Dear Bengalaru India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues we’ve been forced to cancel both shows.
We tried everything but because the audience can’t hear the comedians on stage there’s literally no way to do a show. We’ll make…

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) September 27, 2023

People who had braved Bengaluru’s traffic to come to the show were left fuming after the show got cancelled and called out BookMyShow for the mismanagement.

X user Ashok Karanth to complain about the mismanagement. In a lengthy post, he complained about parking space issues, poor air conditioning, crowded venue and narrow roads. “The venue choice for this event was atrocious. Terrible access roads and the parking was utter chaos. There was some random parking pass that supposedly was needed to park – but the vast majority of cars were stuck finding parking while 100s of slots were vacant,” he wrote.

Notably, the Emmy-winning comedian kickstarted the Indian leg of his ‘Off The Record’ tour at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on September 22. He did two more shows in Delhi on September 23, and 24.