Adele Fans Decry ‘Unfair and Exploitative’ Ticket Scheme

Adele fans are calling out Ticketmaster, alleging that the company’s treatment of fans was “unfair and exploitative” for initially pricing tickets exorbitantly high for the British pop star’s Munich residency.

The “Rolling in the Deep” singer is slated to perform 10 shows at the Munich Messe — a stadium specifically constructed for her residency — this fall, bringing in 740,000 fans. However, ticketholders are frustrated that fans who purchased tickets early on where charged higher rates than those who waited until later.

During the initial sale earlier this year, fans lashed out at Ticketmaster over unattainable ticket prices. Over 260,000 people were reportedly waiting in a virtual queue for hours, hoping to get tickets to see the famed singer. While ticket prices started at £60, those were scooped-up quickly, meaning that only VIP tickets were available for a whopping £615. This followed by a premium seat package of £984.

| READ: Fans Lash Out at Adele Over Exorbitant Ticket Prices | 

Now, months later, fans are seeing those ticket prices drop significantly. Frustrated fans launched a petition via Change.org dubbed “Expose the SCAM: Ticketmaster, LiveNation & Leitgen’s Adele Munich Concert Mismanagement.” In the petition, ticketholders claim that they were victims of “unfair and exploitative ticket sales practices” by the entertainment giant.

Fans claimed they were “misled through deceptive practices and artificial scarcity” during the initial sale, leaving them left with overpriced tickets after waiting for hours in Ticketmaster’s queue. Then, later on, fans claim discounted seats became available in prime locations throughout the stadium. While Ticketmaster initially said demand would exceed ticket supply, the petition alleges this was a “tactic aimed at coercing swift purchases.”

Additionally, the petition notes that organizers have blocked the ability to transfer or resell these tickets, which “has led to increased scamming on platforms like Facebook and eBay.” While organizers revealed that these features may be accessible a week before the shows, the petition said the delay has left buyers “feeling betrayed and misled, as Ticketmaster failed to deliver on their advertised service on time, and now they face potential financial losses with the shows so close.”

Last week, organizers revealed that €35 ($38) “lucky dip” tickets would be available for last-minute purchases in an effort to fill all seats in the stadium. While these prices are significantly cheaper than her initial tickets, the petition called this “another huge slap in the face to everyone who paid ridiculous prices earlier.”

“This mismanagement has led to widespread dissatisfaction and significant financial and emotional stress, raising concerns about the transparency, fairness, and integrity of the ticketing process,” the petition reads. “Some fans are even hoping for cancellations due to feeling exploited and misled.”

The petition calls for Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and Leutgeb Entertainment Group to “address and rectify the unfair, non-transparent, and exploitative treatment of early buyers who paid excessively high prices,” as well as issue refunds and activate resale immediately.

Those who signed the petition noted their frustrations with Ticketmaster’s policies and the rule that has blocked resale:

The petition currently has 972 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon and is aiming for 1,000 signatures.

This concept of pricing tickets high at the start of the sale — only to see cheaper tickets later on — is not new. In fact, the “slow ticketing” practice has been used heavily throughout the industry over the last year, angering fans of all different genres — from Olivia Rodrigo and Bad Bunny to blink-182 and Sleep Token.

| READ: The Black Keys Cancel Tour; Is Slow Ticketing Killing Tours? | 

In this practice, prices are set at what the tour organizers (and its partners at companies like Ticketmaster) believe is the highest level that the artist’s fans might be willing to pay, for each level of seating (even down to individual rows, with premiums for things like aisle seats). Then, after the artist’s “super-fans” purchase the tickets at their highest level, those prices decrease over time.

Adele’s Munich residency kicked-off on August 2 and is set to run through August 31. This marks her first time performing in Europe in eight years. Following the residency, she’ll head back to Las Vegas to wrap-up the Sin City residency for a handful of rescheduled dates.

Find a full list of Adele’s residency dates below, as well as various ticketing options:

Adele Tickets

Adele Tickets at MEGASeats (use code TICKETNEWS for 10% off your order)
Adele Tickets at Adele’s Official Website
Adele Tickets at StubHub
Adele Tickets at Vivid Seats
Adele Tickets at Ticket Club

Adele | Munich Residency 2024

August 9 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 10 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 14 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 16 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 23 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 24 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 30 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
August 31 — Munich, Germany @ Messe München
October 25 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
October 26 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 1 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 2 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 8 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 9 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 15 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 16 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 22 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
November 23 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace