The war on scalpers
If you’ve ever tried to buy tickets to a major show on the day they go on sale, only to discover that resale sites have scooped them up and are selling them at five times face value, you understand the frustration.
It’s even worse if it’s for an artist you love.
This issue rose to prominence in 2016 when The Tragically Hip gave its farewell tour. Many Hip fans were shut out because of scalpers and resale sites. The money for the jackedup tickets didn’t go to Gord Downie’s family, or The Hip, or cancer research. Even the neighbourhood scalper, a college student trying to make a few extra bucks, wasn’t getting in on the action.
It went to the greedy resale sites who circumnavigate the law to their advantage.
The new NDP government is trying to follow the lead of Ontario by introducing legislation that ensures fair ticket pricing.
Among the proposals is an all-out ban on “scalper bots,” which use technology to not only scoop up a lot of tickets, but most of the best seats. Ontario also limits resale prices to 50 per cent above face value.
Scalping has been around for decades in sports and music. Some people don’t have time to jam the phone lines at 10 a.m. on a Friday morning, or, as in the old days, camp out overnight. One can argue that concert tickets are simply a matter of supply and demand.
Technology has taken scalping to an entirely new level that’s unfair to consumers.
Dean Clarke, general manager of the South Okanagan Events Centre, believes scalping is not a major issue in midsized markets such as Penticton.
“It’s pretty small,” he said in an interview. “Our ticketing software system, our marketing team ... when there are issues, we’re here at our building. If you phone us, we will try to solve your problem.”
Although it’s not really an Okanagan issue, he’s followed the debate closely.
“Do I think there should be legislation to stop bots from buying tickets? Yes, they are not a good thing for our industry. Do we need to legislate third-party sellers? I think the market needs to determine the ticket price and as long as the majority of the money is going to the artist, I’m OK with it.”
A poll shows 80 per cent of Canadians think purchasing tickets solely to resell them is unfair and 50 per cent are in favour of government legislation.
You can have your say. Take a moment for a short survey at: engage.gov.bc.ca/ticketbuying. The survey is up until March 27 at 4 p.m.