Ticketmaster canceled and issued full refunds for Ariana Grande tickets that were sold prematurely for three Austin dates at the Moody Center, replacing the purchase flow with a request-only window that runs through Thursday morning.
The venue and Ticketmaster said the tickets were released early because of a technical mistake. The shows are scheduled for June 24, June 26 and June 27 at Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Drive, with the June 27 show added after the initial two dates were announced. The Moody Center said the early on-sale occurred before the scheduled Ticketmaster Request window opened, and that tickets purchased during that period would not be honored. “We thought demand overloaded the system,” said Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation. “It turned out not to be true.”
Under the revised process, fans must submit a Ticketmaster Request by Thursday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m., and a request does not guarantee the ability to buy a ticket. The Moody Center said that all tickets purchased during the inadvertent early-release period are being canceled and fully refunded back to the original payment method, and that the affected inventory will only be distributed through the request system rather than a direct onsale. “Of course, I am incredibly bothered by it,” said Ariana Grande, singer.
The early-release incident followed an earlier ticketing dispute tied to resale purchases: Ticketmaster and Grande’s team previously repossessed some tickets that were obtained via resellers in violation of platform terms, and Ticketmaster said those impacted would receive priority in the new request process. That sequence left some Austin buyers navigating multiple changes—first, the shift to request-only distribution after the resale enforcement, and then the cancellation of tickets that appeared to be successfully purchased during the premature on-sale—while the limited request window becomes the only official path to access for the June Moody Center dates. “i've been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution. i hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs,” said Ariana Grande, singer.
In its Feb. 10 post announcing the cancellations, the venue apologized and directed buyers to the request process. Ticketmaster, in an Instagram message about the earlier resale-related cancellations, said it would prioritize affected fans whose resale tickets were invalidated because of seller misconduct, while warning that requests still do not ensure a purchase opportunity. “These people are so stupid,” said Ben Baker, Ticketmaster regional director.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have faced repeated scrutiny over major tour sales, including Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” which prompted hearings in which lawmakers described the market as monopolistic; in 2025, the Federal Trade Commission sued ticket reseller Key Investment Group, alleging it inflated prices by buying tickets through fake Ticketmaster accounts. More recently, a U.S. trade body has also alleged Ticketmaster and Live Nation used deceptive pricing and misleading ticket limits to inflate secondary-market prices, framing the issue as an ongoing consumer-protection dispute over affordability and fairness. “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” said Ben Baker, Ticketmaster regional director.
The request window remains open until 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, after which Ticketmaster is expected to notify selected buyers and provide timed opportunities to complete purchases through its platform. In Austin, the June 27 show addition and the shift to request-only distribution leave fans with one remaining official pathway—submitting a request—after the early-release purchases were voided and refunded.
