Ticketmaster slammed again over early sale of Leonard Cohen tickets
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | 12:20 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Video
- Muhammad Lila reports: Ticketmaster slammed again over early sale of Leonard Cohen tickets (Runs: 2:24)
- Play: QuickTime »
- Play: Real Media »
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
Your Vote:
Leonard Cohen, seen during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, is on a world tour that returns to North America in the spring. (Canadian Press) More complaints are surfacing about Ticketmaster, this time about inflated ticket prices for Leonard Cohen's upcoming concerts in Canada.
Ticketmaster's website says tickets don't go on sale until Wednesday for most Canadian dates, but the company's affiliated website, TicketsNow, began selling tickets to the shows for hundreds of dollars more than their face value before that.
Tickets to Cohen's concerts were withdrawn from sale by TicketsNow sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
Tickets for Cohen's tour are in high demand. The Canadian poet and musician is scheduled to perform at Hamilton's Copps Coliseum on May 19.
When told the tickets for Cohen's appearance in Hamilton were already on sale at TicketsNow, Copps Coliseum chief executive officer Duncan Gillespie was upset.
"Sometimes it's a matter [in] large corporations like that of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Is that understandable? Yes. Is that excusable? No. Do they need to correct it? Absolutely. We're not happy and I think fans are justifiably very unhappy," he said.
Tickets with a face value of $99 to $250 were being sold on TicketsNow.com for between $568 to $856, plus a service of charge ranging from $85 to $128 per ticket.
"The reality is that somebody will pay $1,000 for a Cohen ticket, but he [Cohen] wants to keep it at reasonable prices for people, so this undermines this totally," said Gillespie.
After hearing about the ticket sales from CBC, Gillespie contacted a senior official at Ticketmaster, who promised quick action.
Cohen is scheduled to appear in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg before his Hamilton performance.
Later this spring he will perform in Quebec City, Ottawa, Kingston and London, Ont.
Share Tools
Latest Montreal News Headlines
- CAQ not recognized as official party

- The speaker of the national assembly announced Tuesday that the new Coalition Avenir Québec does not reach the minimum requirements to be awarded official party status. more »
- Sweet Isabelle's sexy cookies a St. Valentine's hit
- A Montreal bakery has just the Valentine's Day gift for the romantic partner who has everything: erotic cookies, that come in all shapes, sizes – and sexual positions. more »
- Crews tackle Magdalen Islands power outage
- Improving weather is assisting hydro crews in the Magdalen Islands, where thousands remain without power after an ice storm. more »
- Travellers at Trudeau airport witness flash mob
- Travellers at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport witnessed a flash mob pay tribute to the late Whitney Houston. more »
Top News Headlines
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. more »
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Côte-St-Luc passes anti-smoking bylaw
- CAQ not recognized as official party
- More power out on Magdalen Islands
- Crews tackle Magdalen Islands power outage
- Quebec students strike over tuition fees
- Advice follows drowning death of baby
- Pat Martin condemns asbestos backers to face justice in hell
- Sweet Isabelle's sexy cookies a St. Valentine's hit
- Quebec asbestos industry mulls European convictions

