Waterloo Region, ON – After multiple attempts to purchase tickets for her family to see Taylor Swift in Toronto, Kitchener resident Melanie Hains said it would have been cheaper for them to go overseas to see her than to buy tickets for an hour away from where they live.
“For the cost of Toronto resale tickets alone, we could have flown our family to Europe and also covered our hotel and the concert,” said Hains.
While disappointed to be missing out, Hains was motivated to initiate a petition calling on the federal government to evaluate and adopt ticket resale measures other countries have in place to better serve both consumers and artists.
“The current system is being manipulated by bad faith actors who are using their buying power to artificially inflate ticket prices for their own financial gains,” said her spouse, Scott Thomson. “The artists aren’t seeing any of this money. The fans have to, in some cases, pay well above the ticket price if they just want to get in the building. This hurts the touring industry. This hurts fans. This hurts artists.”
“The only people who benefit from this set up are the secondary ticket sellers, and of course, the corporate sellers who now get to make multiple transaction fees on a single ticket.”
Hearing about affordability concerns from his constituents on a regular basis, Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice was happy to sponsor the petition on behalf of Canadians looking for transparent, up-front ticket event ticket pricing and fair practices to keep costs low and allow more people, regardless of economic background, to enjoy the artists they love.
“Governments in Europe have been taking steps to address ticketing issues, including banning or limiting ticket resale prices above their face value,” said Morrice. “The U.S. is also looking at improving enforcement of penalties for bots being used to scoop up tickets for the purpose of reselling. It’s time for Canada to step up.”
While Swift fans aren’t the only music lovers impacted, the petition launched in the midst of the music giant’s Toronto stops as she wraps up her global Eras tour with its final shows in Vancouver following next month.
To access the petition, visit Petition Link: Petition e-5243 - Petitions
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For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Rosalind Horne
Director of Staff
Office of MP Mike Morrice
226-749-2198