Hip tickets tragically out of reach for many fans, Report

A long-standing problem with online concert tickets is coming to the forefront thanks to the emotional nature of the Tragically Hips final tour.

Fans hoping to see The Hip one last time after learning of frontman Gord Downie’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis took off work, refreshed the page dozens of times, and even coordinated with friends to buy pre-sale tickets, only to have them disappear in seconds and then appear soon after on sites like StubHub at exorbitant prices.

For instance, you could potentially buy a floor ticket to the group’s hometown gig at Kingston, ON’s K-Rock Centre on August 20 for $5,000. The original prices, mind you, had ranged from $56 to $166, with a portion of proceeds going to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Foundation.

While price gouging is nothing new, fans have been speculating online that Ticketmaster had fed StubHub the tickets. The ticket giant has not commented.

StubHub did, however, comment on the flipping of Hip tickets, saying that the company will likewise contribute an unspecified amount to the charitable organization. That said, StubHub also praises a “free and open marketplace” where people can buy and resell tickets however they see fit.

You can read the company’s statement below:

Regarding The Tragically Hip's tour. For more info https://t.co/FvYNOzMTJm pic.twitter.com/3XxEsV1AKK

— StubHub (@StubHub) May 30, 2016

In a statement, B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris said:

“I recognize this is a very frustrating situation for dedicated and loyal Tragically Hip fans. Unfortunately anti-scalping laws are very difficult to enforce because most sales transactions are done on the Internet, sometimes across national borders, and customers choose to purchase re-sale tickets despite the cost. Due to this Alberta actually repealed provisions in their legislation restricting ticket resales in 2009. Ticket reselling is now legal in Alberta.”

Agencies/Canadajournal

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