Brian Masse, the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) Member of Parliament (MP), has requested that the government investigates Ticketmaster following news of its resale practices.
Last month, the CBC and Toronto Star reported on the company’s pro-broker resale operations. CBC ran photos of hidden-camera footage showing a Ticketmaster representative promoting Trade Desk, Ticketmaster’s “resale broker tool.” In the footage, the representative tells an undercover CBC investigative reporter that Ticketmaster staff “turn a blind eye to scalpers who use hundreds of fake identities and accounts to exceed Ticketmaster’s own ticket-buying limits.”
Although Ticketmaster President Jared Smith said that the company does not have a program that helps professional resellers gain an advantage on buying tickets, Canada’s Competition Bureau launched an investigation into Ticketmaster’s practices. Additionally, two U.S. senators called for a Department of Justice Investigation of Ticketmaster, and in a series of leaked emails, multiple artists’ managers questioned Smith about Trade Desk.
However, Masse doesn’t believe this is enough, claiming that he would rather see the government investigate the company directly, instead of the Competition Bureau, CBC reports.
“The Competition Bureau itself is uncertain if it will fall under the [Competition] Act,” Masse said in an interview with Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre. “This is giving Ticketmaster … a free skate and a pass in the meantime.”
He also urged Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains to direct his department and to talk among other colleagues to assess the situation, adding that Ticketmaster is just one company that he believes is taking advantage of the country. In addition, he’s asking Ticketmaster Canada to attend an upcoming committee meeting to discuss the Copyright Act, since he thinks the artists are being taken advantage of.
