Bad Bunny and ticket chaos: consumption investigates the gross sales system in giant concert events | Culture | EUROtoday

The Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny bought in a matter of hours virtually the greater than 600,000 tickets obtainable for his or her concert events in Madrid and Barcelona in 2026. The demand was so excessive that lots of the official channels of sale of Ticketmaster collapsed throughout the presale, leaving out 1000’s of followers. Given this case, the dynamic worth system was activated, utilized by this and different distributors, which adjusts the fee in actual time in keeping with the demand.

Although within the first days the bought outit’s nonetheless attainable to search out tickets obtainable by means of the official channel, sure, with costs that in lots of instances are round – and even exceed – 500 euros, even for normal tickets.

Since the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) they’ve confirmed that they’ve filed a criticism in opposition to Ticketmaster for abusive practices within the sale of tickets. “We have received numerous complaints from users who accessed the sales system with a visible price and ended up paying until triple the amount initially shown,” says Enrique García, spokesman for the OCU. Among the irregularities detected, further non -transparent costs, disproportionate administration bills, a compulsory donation included by default and the usage of the controversial idea of ‘Platinum entry’, which permits to lift costs with out prior discover.

The Ministry of Consumer has introduced that it’ll examine a big ticket administration firm after receiving complaints of customers for the gathering of attainable illicit bills within the on-line sale of tickets. The division directed by Pablo Bustinduy doesn’t specify the title of the corporate, however stresses that it’s “concerts in Spain of an international artist” after “receiving complaints of consumers for the collection of possible illicit expenses.” “This research is incorporated into an informative file that consumption keeps open to several companies that are dedicated to online sale of innings for concerts and other activities.

After hearing the performance of the Ministry of Consumer, the spokesman of the FACUA organization, Rubén Sánchez, has celebrated that the investigation has been launched because, as he recalls, since Facua have been “denouncing all kinds of irregularities in concerts and festivals by Ticketmaster, Live Nation and other tickets and organizers.”

The original tickets ranged between 83.30 and 615.80 euros (in VIP packages). Currently, they can be found in resale for figures that are around 500 euros and in some cases around 1,500 euros on international unofficial platforms and social networks, especially on dates close to the weekend or in seats with good visibility.

As the country has documented on different occasions, the problem is not only the resale, it is the distribution system itself that has turned access to live music into a luxury. From the “management expenses” not clear to the segregated afor and dynamic costs, which trigger the fan to pay extra and fewer ensures.

One of probably the most controversial elements is the value system that adjusts the fee in actual time in keeping with the demand. It is a mannequin just like what Uber does when costs uploads at peak hours. That is, an admission initially introduced for 150 euros now reaches 450 euros or extra with out prior discover. According to The Guardianthis technique was one of many triggers of the scandal with the entrances for the concert events comparable to these of the Oasis music group.

In addition, the acquisition course of has turn into a hostile expertise: digital tails, pages that fall, system errors, opaque surcharges and a generalized feeling that tickets “fly” even earlier than reaching most people.

The big Ticketmaster, which controls greater than 70% of the world market of tickets after its merger with Live Nation, is within the heart of this controversy. In 2024 it generated greater than 23,000 million {dollars} in income. Although he defends himself claiming that his profit margins are low, the reality is that, as he factors out The Guardianyour area of the sector lets you impose costs, situations and commissions with little or no actual competence.

During the presale, greater than 150,000 folks have been linked on the identical time, which triggered the collapse of the system in a couple of minutes. The phenomenon not solely impacts the massive native followers: lots of the tickets have been acquired by customers who purchased greater than these wanted, anticipating future resalls. In that context, a second wave of accessible tickets has emerged, with costs effectively above the unique, and with none clear assure about its validity or origin. Official platforms barely management this circulation, and outdoors of them – in networks and apps of sale – the profiles that search to make the most of the urgency proliferate.

In social networks comparable to X (previously Twitter), Tiktok or specialised boards multiply the complaints of customers who haven’t been capable of entry tickets, or who report inflated costs, scams and uncertain practices. Screen captures present exorbitant costs on second -hand platforms, entries provided with out ensures and sellers who ask for funds by Bizum or Paypal to keep away from commissions.

According to Ticketmaster, so {that a} purchaser can yield his tickets to a different individual, he should make the title change by means of the Ticketmaster app or approved platforms that assure a secure switch.