As Toronto continues its ‘Love Story’ with Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour, set to go subsequent week to British Columbia, some are urging motion over allegations of price-gouging by resellers and ticketing practices which have left some followers with ‘Dangerous Blood.’
On websites like StubHub, a single ticket for Taylor Swift’s Friday live performance in Toronto is at minimal $4,654, whereas on SeatGeek it’s $4,500 for the 500-level seats.
Some have been priced as excessive as $33,000.
That’s not together with Ticketmaster the place you want a fan code to get one of many tickets made lately accessible for the same-day present. However these costs are why politicians like NDP MP Brian Masse are calling for motion by governments to forestall future concert-goers from dealing with sky-high costs.
“Going to a live performance or an occasion is usually a particular second for household and mates and other people even save for months to have the ability to go after which to have it ripped out of your capacity to get there due to one of these construction is simply not truthful,” Masse mentioned in an interview.
A petition has additionally been launched federally this week, backed by Inexperienced MP Mike Morris, calling on the federal authorities to look at different nations’ associated laws round banning ticket resales above face-value and a cap on how excessive they are often resold.
That petition requires a “cheap bundle of measures” to lower the amount of listings of tickets being resold for revenue, whereas regulating market practices corresponding to using “misleading web sites and speculative ticket listings.”
It’s not simply Taylor Swift tickets being resold or restricted, both.
Allegations of restricted entry or worth gouging by both the varied ticketing firms or resellers has been a typical apply for years, with tickets for music concert events, comedy exhibits and sports activities video games skyrocketing.
An enormous problem in Canada, in accordance with enterprise and regulation affiliate professor Daniel Tsai, is that Ticketmaster and its mum or dad firm LiveNation “management” the first marketplace for ticket gross sales, whereas additionally having some management over the resale market as nicely.
“There’s lack of rules and no competitors that’s allowed one massive dominant drive, LiveNation Ticketmaster, to manage the live performance and leisure and sporting ticket trade,” Tsai mentioned.
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He added surge pricing, when tickets go in excessive demand, means Canadians and different patrons are left “paying a fortune” both for the unique tickets or on the resale market.
In a letter to Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Masse referred to as on the federal authorities to launch an investigation into Ticketmaster and the ticketing trade and take “rapid motion” to crack down on scalper bots and resellers by working with the provinces and territories to make sure a “common” change.
Among the many modifications he’d prefer to see can be restricted resale capabilities for particular occasions, and a restricted markup on tickets managed just like what’s seen in different nations.
In line with the Face-Worth European Alliance for Ticketing, which advocates for tickets to be resold for not more than their unique worth, locations like Portugal and Denmark have made it unlawful for tickets to be bought above face-value.
An unauthorized resell of a ticket in France, if not completed by the promoter or approved ticket platforms, can result in a advantageous of as much as EUR15,000.
Masse mentioned work needs to be completed with provinces to find out a regular quantity, however he would like to see these reselling tickets restricted to not more than 5 per cent above the unique worth.
International Information reached out to Champagne’s workplace for touch upon the letter in addition to if the federal authorities is planning actions on ticket worth gouging, however didn’t hear again by publication.
It’s not simply on the federal degree, both. Ontario NDP MPP Krystyn Wong-Tam has launched a movement calling on the provincial authorities to seek the advice of with stakeholders and examine to create a system to finish worth gouging.
“Followers are paying the worth for Ontario authorities inaction on ticket resale racket,” Wong-Tam mentioned.
Ontario tried to place in place a resale worth cap of not more than 50 per cent above face worth in 2017, nevertheless it was paused after Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives got here to energy.
The federal authorities in its 2024 Price range mentioned it might work with provinces and territories and encourage the adoption of greatest apply necessities for ticket gross sales, together with transparency round sudden costs and cracking down on “reseller practices which unfairly drive up costs,” corresponding to by bot know-how.
Tsai says extra must be completed, suggesting the Competitors Bureau of Canada ought to order a breakup of LiveNation Ticketmaster to permit for competitors out there.
Requested if it was contemplating a probe into firms like Ticketmaster, or if worth gouging and management over costs constitutes anti-competitive behaviour, the Competitors Bureau of Canada mentioned it enforces the Competitors Act, together with provisions round price-fixing and abuse of dominant positions.
“The Competitors Bureau just isn’t a worth regulator, and firms are usually free to set the worth degree at which they promote their merchandise,” a spokesperson wrote in an e mail. “Solely the provinces and territories have guidelines associated to price-gouging in Canada.”
Earlier this 12 months, the U.S. took motion in opposition to Ticketmaster and LiveNation, suing each and accusing them of operating an unlawful monopoly over reside occasions and asking a court docket to interrupt up the system.
— with information from The Related Press
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