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New Fee May Hurt Small Clubs
The Calgary Herold reported yesterday that new fees for international performers have been introduced on July 31st, 2013.
Non-Canadian musicians, technicians, sound engineers, crew members and tour managers may now be subject to a $275 fee, per person, per venue. This amount is added to the $150 work permit fee that most of these people are required to pay to work in Canada.
Prior to the introduction of this fee most bands were subject to a maximum of $450 to play Canada’s smaller venues. But now the fees have quadrupled for some international acts resulting in extra expenditures that will be passed along to consumers.
This new fee will also hurt new and upcoming international performers who have not yet gained enough of an audience in Canada to play the larger venues, some of which are tax exempt.
A petition against the implementation of this fee is available at change.org. Please consider signing this petition.
Thank You.
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Alberta Flood Aid
A concert to help the victims of the flood in Alberta has been organized and will air online and via select Canadian cable and satellite providers today at 6 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern.
The four hour event will be hosted by Corner Gas star Brett Butt and feature performances by Jann Arden, Johnny Reid, The Sheepdogs, Corb Lund, Colin James, Tom Cochrane, Nickelback, Ian Tyson, Matthew Good, Randy Bachman, The Sadies and Loverboy.
- Where to Tune In :
- Online on Youtube
- Access Communications (Regina & Area)
- Bell Fibe TV – Channels 993 (HD) and 994 (SD)
- Bell Satellite – Channels 832 (HD) and 399 (SD)
- MTS TV – Channels 801 (SD) and 1801 (HD)
- Rogers Digital Cable – Channel 1 (Rogers Digital TV customers in ON, NB and NL)
- Rogers TV – Channels 369 (HD) and 368 (SD) (Ontario)
- SaskTel maxTV – Channels 605 (HD) and 602 (SD)
- Shaw – Channels 4 (SD) and 214 (HD) (Calgary)
- Shaw – Channels 11 (SD) and 214 (HD) (Edmonton)
- TELUS Optik TV – Channels 675 (HD) and 135 (SD)
- TELUS Optik – Channel 5 (SD) (Calgary and Edmonton)
- TELUS Optik TV channels 997 (HD) and 9997 (SD) (Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge)
- TELUS Satellite TV – Channels 832 (HD) and 399 (SD)
$10 Donations to the Calgary Foundation Flood Recovery Fund can be made by texting ABFLOOD to 20222 or via an online form.
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Scalpers VS Smart Chips
BBC News reports that Live Nation UK is experimenting with new smart chip technology that would identify ticket purchasers.
This technology, which may make paper tickets obsolete, is embedded in specially manufactured wristbands that are unique and may enable concert goers to purchase food and drink, according to Live Nation UK.
These “digital wristbands” will first be introduced at festivals in the UK but could make their way to concerts in Great Britain if they are successful. And perhaps they will make their way to North America, Ticketmaster and Live Nation having merged in late January in the states, creating Live Nation Entertainment.
There is some concern in regards to the ability to re-sell these wristbands online though, a concern that Ticketmaster would need to address to promote the re-selling of these wristbands via their TicketsNow subsidiary.
Would the editing of the information contained on the chip be difficult, hindering the resale of these wristbands ? Or would these wristbands simply be reissued instead with amended or updated information ?
I guess the pilot project will help answer these questions.
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