After Ticketmaster quietly scrapped refunds for postponed events in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the ticket seller’s parent company Live Nation is reversing course.

The move led to a backlash on social media and a growing political controversy on both sides of the border, with one New York state senator calling for a formal inquiry to determine if criminal or civil penalties are in order.

In a statement to NOW, Live Nation’s Ontario office said the company is now rolling out “a full program of options for fans with tickets to shows that have been cancelled or rescheduled.”

Starting May 1, the promoter is offering refunds to cancelled and postponed shows “within 30 days once a show has been cancelled or new dates have been finalized.”

Live Nation competitor AEG Live has already announced a similar refund policy.

Additionally, as an incentive for people to hold on to tickets Live Nation will offer credits for cancelled events that can be used toward future ticket purchases of up to 150 per cent their ticket value – or what the company calls “concert cash.”

For events that are being rescheduled, a buyer will receive the “concert cash” after they attend the new date.

Previously, events that had been postponed, rescheduled or cancelled were all automatically eligible for ticket refunds. When the coronavirus pandemic forced the concert touring industry to grind to a halt, Ticketmaster changed the policy so only cancelled events would qualify for a ticket refund – not rescheduled events.

Though many shows have already been cancelled, it’s not clear when global touring will begin again, with some speculating arena and sporting events will not happen until 2021.

Meanwhile, some arena shows – like Tame Impala – are still scheduled to take place in Toronto in early June.

“It takes an entire ecosystem to bring live events to life, and we appreciate the patience of fans as our teams work through the details of shifting these shows with artists, venues and communities around the world,” the statement reads. “Exact offers will vary based on show and venue, and will be shared directly with ticket holders when they are available, beginning May 1.”

Live Nation is also giving fans the option to donate their tickets to health-care workers through the company’s Hero Nation program.

Earlier in the week, New York state senator James Skoufis called on the state’s attorney general to launch an investigation into Ticketmaster’s businesses practices, and two Democratic congress members, Bill Pascrell, Jr. and Katie Porter, wrote an open letter demanding the company give full refunds to anyone who requests one.

In Canada, NDP MP and the party’s industry critic Brian Masse called on the Competition Bureau and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains to launch investigations into Ticketmaster as well, CBC reported this week.

On Friday, Ticketmaster president Jared Smith released a statement to assure fans that refunds would be honoured for both cancelled and rescheduled shows and sporting events.

He also explained that the money paid for now-cancelled or postponed shows had already been sent to event organizers, which is why the company has been slow to respond to refund requests.

“Our business practice is to send money to event organizers on a weekly basis as tickets are sold,” he wrote. “For the 30,000 events that have already been postponed or canceled as a result of COVID-19, we have already sent more than $2 billion to event organizers, making it impossible to issue refunds to fans before recouping sales receipts from the organizers, as we’ve done in the past.”

As of March 1, there were 55,000 events in Ticketmaster’s system scheduled to take place before the end of the year, he added.

As he stated, 30,000 have been impacted by the pandemic: 12,000 have been cancelled and 5,000 events have already been rescheduled. The remaining 14,000 events will be rescheduled, “which is an incredibly complex task at present given the diminished line of sight into the future as well as the uncertainty around when large gatherings may resume,” Smith wrote.

“Let me reiterate: neither our clients, nor Ticketmaster, intend to withhold refunds on postponed shows,” Smith said.

@KevinRitchie