North America, meaning the United States and Canada, is probably where ticket prices are highest. Europe still has large companies that can compete among themselves. Going to see a show at the Bell Centre for less than $200 is really very rare. In Europe, it's not so much of a problem.
Let's talk about what is called cultural spending. A kid who pays a lot to see a French artist, perhaps a rapper from France, at MTELUS, will have less money in his wallet to go and see a Quebec artist in a small venue, such as the ones Mr. Weisz's association represents. At some point, there's a limit. The Enquête report showed it clearly. A girl who is a big fan of Paul McCartney had a budget of $500, but she ended up paying $900 for her ticket because of Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing. In the piece, she said quite clearly that she would be going to fewer shows this year. What she means, of course, is that she will be consuming less Canadian and Quebec culture.
So the impact of this major player and its dynamic ticket pricing is so important in the way culture is presented.
