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Ticket Atlantic done, Ticketmaster takes over for Scotiabank Centre events in Halifax

Click to play video: 'Ticketmaster CEO apologizes for Taylor Swift concert ticket debacle, blames bots and cyberattack'
Ticketmaster CEO apologizes for Taylor Swift concert ticket debacle, blames bots and cyberattack
U.S. senators slammed Live Nation Entertainment's lack of transparency and inability to block bot purchases of tickets on Tuesday, in a hearing called after a major fiasco involving ticket sales for Taylor Swift's upcoming concert tour – Jan 24, 2023

Ticket Atlantic has been iced and will be replaced by Ticketmaster for concerts and events at Scotiabank Centre, which includes Halifax Mooseheads games.

The new partnership was announced in a “letter to fans” on Tuesday.

“As the leader in the marketplace, Ticketmaster will give our fans – you – access to the best technology in the industry to buy and manage your tickets,” the letter from Scotiabank Centre reads.

Scotiabank Centre said the decision came after a full procurement process and business analysis for its ticketing services.The transition will take place over the coming weeks and customers will be contacted if there are “impacts” to existing tickets.

Scotiabank Centre previously sold tickets exclusively through Ticket Atlantic. Both Ticket Atlantic and Scotiabank Centre are managed and operated by Events East, a special-purpose government agency created between the province of Nova Scotia and Halifax Regional Municipality.

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Adria Young, a communications advisor for Events East, confirmed Ticket Atlantic will no longer be selling tickets.

“As part of the transition, we have made the decision to sell exclusively through Ticketmaster and no longer provide regional ticketing services for other venues and/or events,” she wrote in an email.

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She added, however, that ticketing and box office services will continue to be managed by the same team.

On social media, people voiced concern about ticket prices increasing in response to the change.

Young said Events East understands the “initial reaction from our fans.”

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“We have worked with Ticketmaster to ensure minimal impact to fees for season ticket holders or recurring local events,” she said.

“Scotiabank Centre continues to work closely with event organizers and our ticketing provider to ensure ticket prices are consistent with the industry and our market.”

Young added that ticket fees are determined on an event-by-event basis and are “in line with industry standards.”

Ticketmaster has been mired in bad press recently. In the United States, President Joe Biden met with executives of Live Nation — Ticketmaster’s parent company — and other companies to make pricing more transparent and get rid of so-called “junk fees.”

As a result, Ticketmaster announced it is moving to all-in pricing, which will show customers the actual purchase price with fees included.

Late last year, a group of Taylor Swift fans sued Ticketmaster and Live Nation over a presale fiasco, where hundreds of thousands of fans were left without tickets to the singer’s 2023 Eras Tour.

Click to play video: 'Taylor Swift ticket chaos leads to US Justice department probe of Ticketmaster, Live Nation'
Taylor Swift ticket chaos leads to US Justice department probe of Ticketmaster, Live Nation

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