New Ticketmaster rule prohibits reselling above original price in Ontario
If you listen closely, you can almost hear your wallet breathing a sigh of relief. Ticketmaster has announced it will be capping resale prices in Ontario starting next week.
The major ticketing platform notified select account holders via email on Thursday morning that it is complying with Ontario’s Bill 97, a new law that prohibits the resale of tickets at a higher value than what the original buyer paid.
This change applies not only to concerts, but also to sports and other major events, including FIFA World Cup matches, TIFF screenings, and more.
Submitted to blogTO
In other words, if someone originally bought a ticket for $150 to see an event in Ontario, they will no longer be legally able to resell it for $500 on Ticketmaster.
The platform, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, has already started making changes ahead of the new rule. Some resale tickets that users had listed have already been taken down from the platform. A spokesperson for Ticketmaster says users will be able to list their tickets again next week, once Ticketmaster updates its resale system to match the new requirements.
blogTO reached out to Ticketmaster to confirm the date next week and will update the story once that information becomes available.
This move comes at a crucial time, as many Ontario residents continue to feel the financial squeeze when trying to attend live events. Over the years, Ticketmaster has faced substantial criticism from concertgoers over what many describe as “outrageous and unrealistic” ticket prices and resale markups.
There’s also a growing sense among local eventgoers that this cap is “long overdue” and should have been implemented “ages ago.”
Toronto resident Erica Commisso tells blogTO she has skipped out on numerous events in the city because she couldn’t afford them, including the Blue Jays’ World Series games, where she claims tickets were listed for $10,000.
“Real fans couldn’t be here for a piece of history because they were priced out,” she says.
Commisso also reveals she couldn’t nab tickets to see J Cole at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena this summer.
“It was cheaper for me to fly to New York, sit in a good seat, and fly home than it was for me to see him in Toronto,” she explains, adding that the cost for a Toronto ticket was double the price of her trip across the border.
Karen Shrute has attended nearly 100 concerts in Ontario over her lifetime. But she tells blogTO it has become “nearly impossible” to secure tickets to concerts or major events like TIFF, even with a solid presale code on Ticketmaster.
“I wait until the day of a show to buy steeply discounted tickets from [other resellers] who have tons of remaining inventory,” she says. “I get way better seats than I would have fighting it out in the Ticketmaster queue.”
When the cap comes into force, Shrute says she is curious to see how it will impact seat selection, resale availability, and how quickly shows will sell out going forward.
Online, there’s a similar positive reaction and a push to expand this new rule worldwide.
“This should’ve been done before, just like in Europe,” an X user replies.
“Let’s make it a rule internationally and for all ticket sales companies,” writes one user, while another begs, “Please let’s extend it nationwide.”