Some ticket holders for Arcade Fire’s upcoming show in Vancouver say they’re upset that Ticketmaster won’t refund them – amid sexual misconduct allegations against the band’s lead singer.
Win Butler faces multiple allegations that he made unwelcome advances and behaved inappropriately due to power dynamics and age gaps. Butler has denied all charges.
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What do we do about a problem like Win Butler?
But for fans like Kathryn Stewart, the allegations have spoiled the prospect of seeing the band at their next performance on Nov. 25 at Rogers Arena.
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“I was a really big fan. I saw them when I was in Australia, we did their last album tour. During the pandemic, I thought if I ever saw live music again and I ‘bought tickets, I’d go on the floor,’ she told Global News.
“I’m not judge and jury, I don’t know what happened. I really liked Feist’s take, actually. She was like, ‘I’m just uncomfortable being here,’ and that’s kind of how I feel.
Amid the allegations, first acts Feist and Beck dropped out.
Read more:
Feist Quits Arcade Fire Tour Following Multiple Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Win Butler
But despite the lineup change and public concerns about Butler, Ticketmaster is refusing to offer refunds to fans.
Dale Jarvis, who shelled out $250 for a pair of tickets to the show, told Global News that as the father of two young girls, he couldn’t bear to go to the show.
“With allegations hanging over Arcade Fire, I just don’t understand why Ticketmaster won’t give us our money back,” he said.
“And also the opening acts were also canceled, so no point in going there now.”
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Global News sought comment from Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, which did not respond in a timely manner.
Christine Stephenson, executive director of the Peter Dillon Center for Business Ethics at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, said that could harm the company in the long run.
Read more:
Arcade Fire Singer Win Butler Denies Multiple Sexual Misconduct Allegations
She said moral issues and customer values have become an important part of business calculations in today’s world, and companies will need to plan ahead.
“It sets a very high bar to expect Ticketmaster to refund tickets, but on the other hand, these costs may simply reflect new business expectations and only represent the cost of doing business,” he said. she stated.
“Ticketmaster is clearly in a difficult situation. It will cost them to refund the tickets, of course, but they will also have to ask them what the cost is of not refunding the tickets – if their customers are as convinced as they seem, those costs can be quite high.
In the meantime, ticket holders appear to be out of luck.
Demand appears to have cracked for the seats, with many tickets on resale sites listed below their original purchase price.
“Maybe I should eat it,” Jarvis said of the ticket price.
“I kinda regret the amount of money I spent,” Stewart added.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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