Related Live Nation & Ticketmaster to Pay $9.9M to Settle Claims Over ‘Predatory’ Hidden Fees to D.C. Fans Ahead of New Orleans Jazz Fest, Former Police Officer Arrested for Plan to Kill Black People in a Mass Shooting Spotify Reveals First-Ever Most Streamed Artists, Songs and Albums List: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and The Weeknd Are Tops “Effective April 23, 2026, tickets in Ontario cannot be resold above the total original cost, including service fees and taxes,” the email reads. “Beginning next week, you will be able to relist your tickets in compliance with Ontario’s new legal requirements once updates have been made to our resale marketplace.” Ticketmaster confirmed its ticket sales cap to CP24.

“With the legislation coming into force shortly, we have begun contacting all fans with tickets listed on our resale platform to let them know we have delisted their tickets from our marketplace,” a Ticketmaster Canada spokesperson said. It’s a part of the newly passed budget bill, Bill 97, but it has yet to receive royal assent. The new legislation will require secondary sellers to provide proof of original price when listing a ticket for sale, and mandate disclosure of original and resale prices to buyers, with secondary market platforms to retain records for a minimum of three years after the event.

Following the Ford government’s announcement, Live Nation, which is merged with Ticketmaster, posted a statement to social media, supporting the decision. “We are in favour of measures that promote fair, transparent ticketing and curb exploitative resale practices,” the company wrote. While it’s a step in the right direction, it’s unclear how Ticketmaster’s policies will be integrated into the new Ontario legislation, and whether the ticketing company will recoup the service fees and taxes or the reseller.

Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh What Will The Live Nation Antitrust Verdict Mean For Canadian Live Music and Ticketing? In the week since Live Nation lost its blockbuster antitrust trial, many in the music industry have been wondering what’s next — not just in the U.S., but in Canada too. Though the verdict applies solely to the U.S., where the Department of Justice and a coalition of states held the trial, its consequences could spread north of the border.

Related Live Nation Lost Its Monopoly Trial. What’s Next — and Could Ticketmaster Really Be Sold? In its verdict, the jury found that Live Nation was acting as an illegal monopoly, controlling the market for ticketing services, concert ticketing and the use of amphitheatres, and that it illegally tied the use of its venues to its concert promotion services.

The outcome is still to be determined, but could possibly force the sale of Ticketmaster in the U.S. “A ruling like this is monumental,” says Lucas McCarthy, the founder and CEO of Showpass, one of Canada’s biggest independent ticketing companies. “This is a sign of the times that ticketing and live events are as important to people as core basket items like food and shelter,” McCarthy says.

“It’s a good indicator that society holds live entertainment at the very forefront.” Tixr is another significant independent player in the ticketing industry. Though it was founded in the U.S., the company has a sizeable presence in Canada with operations headed by Stéphane McGarry. In an interview alongside CEO and co-founder Robert Davari, McGarry says he is also optimistic the verdict could lead to similar scrutiny in Canada.

“I do think there’s an opportunity for Canada to follow suit,” he tells Billboard Canada. “The U.S. is a very tough market to prove monopolistic behaviour, and it has now been proven in court. So now if Canada’s Competition Bureau were to have a look at this, which we’re hoping they do, they have a blueprint for how to think about it.” A spokesperson from the Bureau says they are monitoring the impact of the trial.

“We are aware of the recent verdict in the Live Nation case in the United States,” the spokesperson says in a statement to Billboard Canada. “We continue to monitor the work of our international counterparts, while recognizing that each jurisdiction operates within its own legal framework.” Despite how it is adopted in Canada, McCarthy predicts the verdict will allow room for more competition. More companies might be willing to build alternatives without being discouraged by inability to compete.

And that could be passed down to the fans. “This might create a new category of businesses that are more inspired and willing to participate,” he says. “I