Ticket fraud and high prices for a Taylor Swift concert have some politicians calling for changes to the way tickets are sold in Canada.
“Many families are looking forward to this event and the fun, but feel shut out of the process,” NDP Innovation, Science and Industry Critic and Windsor West MP Brian Masse told CTV told News Toronto.
In a letter to Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, Mr. Mas called for a crackdown on price gouging.
“The arrival of Taylor Swift’s popular ‘Ellas Tour’ concerts in Canada highlights the government’s failure to address ticket sales and price gouging in the entertainment industry. For presents for children. “The mothers saving money and the hard-working young people who are struggling to get their hands on them are heartbroken to find out that the people ahead of them cannot afford tickets,” the letter said. .
“Instead, scalpers and bots are allowed to scoop up these highly sought-after tickets and resell them for thousands of dollars each, which is far beyond the reach of the average person. ”
Mr Masse implored federal ministers to investigate Ticketmaster and the entire ticketing industry, adding: “We will take immediate action to work with states to crack down on scalper bots and resellers.”
“This is not good for the artists, it’s not good for the economy, and it only helps the underground elements who make money from this,” Masse said.
petitionThe group, backed by federal Green Party MPs, also calls for stronger protections for Canadian ticket buyers, noting that one resale site listed a $13,000 Swift ticket as a “bargain”.
“In Portugal and Denmark, tickets cannot be resold for more than their original price,” the petition reads. “In Germany, a clause can be added to the ticket terms and conditions prohibiting the resale of more than 25% of the face value. In France, the unauthorized resale of a ticket can result in a fine of up to 30,000 euros. be.”
Masse said the investigation is needed because the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger eliminated competition and said the current system is not working.
“It’s unfair to know that bots and ticket resellers are trying to profit off of you and keep you out of the process because you can’t pay double or triple the price, and then you’re not paying Ticketmaster or ticket resellers. Other companies are profiting from it. It’s unacceptable,” Masse said.
