Coldplay concert: Lawyer files complaint on behalf of fans against BookMyShow, Live Nation

Amit Vyas, the Founder Partner of Vertices Partners, has initiated legal action against BookMyShow and Live Nation Entertainment, alleging a large-scale ticketing scam linked to the highly anticipated Coldplay concert at Mumbai.

The allegations pertain to ticket sales for the Coldplay concert set to take place on January 18, 19 and 21, 2025, at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Vyas has filed a formal criminal complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Mumbai on behalf of frustrated Coldplay fans across India.

The complaint has accused online ticketing platforms of engaging in unethical practices that hindered genuine fans from purchasing tickets during the official sale, which began at 12 PM on September 22.

Vyas alleges that the platforms manipulated access by logging legitimate users out or blocking them from the site, enabling ticket bots and black-market operators to take control of the sales.

According to the complaint, tickets were marked as sold out on BookMyShow shortly before appearing on third-party resale sites like Viagogo at inflated prices, ranging from 30 to 50 times their original value. This sparked outrage among fans and raised concerns about possible collusion between the ticketing platform and resellers.

BookMyShow and Live Nation have a lot to explain for how tickets were seemingly redirected to the black market and resold at exorbitant prices, Vyas added.

The complaint further alleges that key decision-makers at BookMyShow and Live Nation were involved in orchestrating the scam. The deployment of bots and manipulation of digital queues deprived genuine fans of fair access to the concert violating consumer rights and various provisions of Indian Criminal Law, he has alleged.

Therefore, he has sought registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including organized crime, cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

In addition to the criminal complaint, Vyas is also planning to file a public interest litigation (PIL) petition before the Bombay High Court to establish regulatory guidelines for major events in order to prevent future fraudulent activities of this nature.