Vancouver fans ‘Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ From Ticket Resale Prices

In a new survey among Canadians ages 19 plus, 94 per cent agree concert tickets are getting too expensive, and 60 per cent believe they can’t afford to see their fave artists perform. Take The Rolling Stones’ sole Canadian tour stop for example: Vancouverites “can’t get no satisfaction” on July 5, as nosebleed ticket resale is going for nearly $300! Making the competitive and pricey resale market more accessible, a new Molson Coors campaign called ‘Fix Tixflation‘ will give Vancouver’s Stones fans a chance to score free tickets, starting on World Music Day (this Friday!). We chatted with Leslie Malcolm, Molson Coors’ Canadian VP of marketing, about how ticket resale culture can be combatted. —Vita Daily

The recent survey shows that 94% of Canadians believe concert tickets are too expensive, and 60% feel they can’t afford to see their favorite artists. How does Molson Coors plan to address these concerns through initiatives like ‘Fix Tixflation’?

Coors Light is battling the unchill ticket resale market head-on, rescuing overpriced resale tickets to some of this summer’s hottest concerts by buying them directly from verified resellers and putting them back into the hands of music fans. With this initiative, we are setting out to shine a light on the reality of the situation in the hopes that with continued conversation across the country, we’ll get close to a more affordable and accessible concert ticket resale market. You should not have to pay, on average, 158% more than the original retail cost of a ticket just to be able to see your favourite artist live, especially given the current rising costs of living.  

We are trying to take as many inflated and unaffordable concert tickets out of the hands of opportunistic resellers and put them back into the hands of real music lovers coast to coast who are looking to make the chill choice and enjoy the universal joy of live music. 

Can you elaborate on the goals of the ‘Fix Tixflation’ initiative and how it aims to make the competitive and pricey resale market more accessible to fans?

The inflated cost of concert tickets is an issue that’s more prevalent than ever, with 3 out of 4 Canadians agreeing it’s harder than ever to get concert tickets and 60% believe they can’t even afford to see their favourite artists perform, according to a Maru Public Opinion survey on behalf of Coors Light. So, when thinking of how Coors Light could best step onto the music scene, helping fans gain better access to live music experiences was an easy decision. With this campaign, we hope to help music fans enjoy a refreshing moment of chill as they take in some epic live music and embrace the season by rescuing unaffordable resale tickets and putting them back into the hands of real music fans. 

Are there any notable partnerships or collaborations involved in the ‘Fix Tixflation’ initiative, and how do they contribute to its success?

With this program, we are working as an individual organization to help Canadians and restore chill for music lovers. 

How do you foresee the ‘Fix Tixflation’ initiative impacting the Canadian music market and concert-goers’ experiences in the long term?

A: In the long term, we hope for a more accessible and affordable concert resale market that doesn’t force Canadians to have to make a choice to break the bank to experience live music and keeps tickets in the hands of real music lovers, not illegal bots or opportunistic resellers. We know the demand for live music experiences is stronger than ever which makes it more challenging to get your hands on tickets when they first hit the market for the public. With more dialogue around the realities of the situation nationwide, we’re not only hoping for reduced barriers to access resale tickets but potentially a trickle-down effect on first-to-market ticket sales as well. 

As a major player in the beverage industry, what prompted Molson Coors to take an active role in combating ticket resale culture and advocating for more affordable concert experiences?

We can all agree there is nothing quite like the transcendent experience of live music and its ability to bring people together, but unfortunately, resale tickets are being marked up by more than double their original price, and in a highly competitive resale market, securing tickets has become out of reach for many Canadian music lovers. Music is the universal language of chill, and as the brand that celebrates Canadians who make the chill choice to embrace the moment, music and Coors Light go hand in hand. This is why we put our focus on the phenomenon we’re calling “tixflation”—the effect of these resellers on ticket prices across Canada—and are aiming to Fix Tixflation to make concert experiences accessible again. 

Could you share more insights from the survey regarding Canadians’ views on the music market and how these findings influenced Molson Coors’ decision to launch ‘Fix Tixflation’?

We’ve seen a lot of data on the reality of the tixflation but we hadn’t seen a lot of information about how Canadians are really feeling. So we went straight to music fans through a Maru Public Opinion survey on behalf of Coors Light, and the data was quite upsetting but not surprising. 3 out of 4 (76%) Canadians 19+ agree it’s harder than ever to get concert tickets, and with 71% of Canadians 19+ not even wanting to consider buying from resellers or reselling platforms that puts a significant number of Canadian music lovers locked out of what should be an experience accessible to all. In fact, two in three Canadians 19+ (67%) have not attended any live concert within the last year, a startling number when you consider the rapidly increasing demand for live concert experiences since 2020. 

Beyond the Rolling Stones’ concert in Vancouver, does Molson Coors have any future plans or initiatives to continue supporting affordable access to live music events for Canadian fans?

Throughout the summer we’re rescuing overpriced resale tickets to concerts coast to coast. In addition to The Rolling Stones in Vancouver on July 5, we’ve bought up tickets to Niall Horan in Toronto on June 28, Missy Elliott in Montreal on August 17, P!nk in Edmonton on August 31, and Vance Joy in Toronto on September 24. 

Coors Light has been a proud supporter of music for many years, sponsoring some of Canada’s top music events and venues, including Osheaga, RBC Bluesfest, Rock the Park, B.C. Place, Scotiabank Arena, and more. We’re continuing to increase our support of music events and venue partners, amplifying chill for music lovers who embrace the moment and refresh their spirit.