The much-awaited return of award-winning band Coldplay to India has been overshadowed by a controversy over the sale of concert tickets. according to news18A Mumbai-based lawyer has filed a complaint with the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW), alleging that ticketing giant BookMyShow and event organizer Live Nation Entertainment are involved in a massive ticket scam related to the upcoming Bharat Concert. Read also: Video of woman calling Book My show queer a ‘scam’ gets 4 million views, Coldplay fans say ‘it happened to us too’
The allegations relate to the sale of tickets for a three-day concert to be held in Mumbai in January 2025. Tickets for the event went live on BookMyShow on 22 September. They are the official ticketing partner for the band’s India shows.
legal crisis
According to News18, the lawyer has initiated legal action against BookMyShow over the alleged Coldplay ticket scam in India. Now, he is planning to file a PIL before the Bombay High Court.
Amit Vyas, founding partner of Vertices Partners, claimed the platform manipulated access by blocking users or forcibly logging them out, and he thinks it enabled bots and black-market operators.
In the complaint, they also shared that tickets that were marked as sold out on the platform later appeared at a higher price on resale platforms like Viagogo. Amit stressed that this is a “gross violation of consumer rights and various provisions of Indian criminal law”.
Now EOW has started investigating the matter.
In the coming days, Amit is planning to file a First Information Report (FIR) under several sections including organized crime, cheating and criminal conspiracy. He is also planning to file a public interest litigation (PIL) petition before the Bombay High Court with a request to bring in strict guidelines for such large-scale events.
bookmyshow reacts
Following the backlash caused by ticket sales, BookMyShow on Tuesday issued a statement on Twitter not only condemning ticket scalping and distancing itself from unauthorized sellers. They also urged fans to avoid purchasing tickets from these platforms, warning of the risks of counterfeit tickets and financial loss.
In its official statement regarding the resale of Coldplay India Tour tickets, the platform said, “BookMyShow does not endorse any ticket selling/resale platforms or third party individuals like Viagogo and Ginsberg for the purpose of resale of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World. No connection with Tour 2025 in India.”
The platform further said, “We urge you not to fall victim to these scams. Any tickets purchased from unauthorized sources will be at the consumer’s risk, and may turn out to be counterfeit tickets. Beware of such scammers.”
about the concert
As part of the Music of the Spheres World Tour, Coldplay is set to perform three shows at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18-19 and 21. The British rock band, consisting of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, is best known for chartbusters such as Fix You, Viva La Vida and Hymn for the Weekend. This band has a lot of followers in India. This performance will mark his return to India after eight years.
