Market Report: Canada
Rarely do companies operate exclusively in Canada and not in its southern neighbour, the US. The two markets are typically conjoined, though it’s the differences in regional and federal laws that set them apart.
Primary ticketing
Ticketmaster is the main player in Canada, as it is south of the border. Other primary firms include AEG-owned AXS, Showpass, CTS Eventim, and SeatGeek, while venues often control ticketing on a more local level. DICE entered the market this year.
Ticketmaster Canada has added improvements to mobile ticketing, which makes up 90% of their sales nowadays, and SafeTix and Smart Queue technology to streamline the process from purchase to entry.
As the US continues to grapple with its own ticketing sector concerns, a priority for the Canadian industry this year is better educating non-industry individuals.
“We want to ensure fans have a better understanding of how ticketing works, especially regarding pricing and safe buying. By promoting transparency, we hope to set realistic expectations and build greater trust,” says Trevor Allin, managing director of Ticketmaster Canada.
“By promoting transparency, we hope to set realistic expectations and build greater trust”
Competition is intensifying as non-traditional players, including tech giants, enter the ticketing space, forcing established companies to innovate and adopt more flexible, customer-centric approaches.
Meanwhile, open distribution strategies and partnerships within the secondary market are reshaping how tickets are sold and exchanged, with a focus on transparency and fairness.
“Our technologies, proven to be reliable, are built to handle high traffic volumes, ensuring efficiency during peak times and supporting an excellent fan experience from the moment tickets go on sale,” says Eventim’s Chad Phillips.
Distribution of sales
With an unending march towards event tickets being totally digital, virtual solutions are arguably more important than ever. Intellitix, a company specialising in RFID tech for events, is reaping the rewards – they report a 35% increase in guest spending with their cashless platform.
“This statistic underscores the effectiveness of our platform in enhancing transaction efficiency and overall guest experience,” says SVP operations Marc-André Simard. “[It’s] attributed to Intellitix’s cashless platform, which is driven by the ease of transactions, reduced wait times, enhanced security, and convenience.”
Value of market
Live music market revenue is valued at CA$2bn according to software development company Softjourn.
Secondary ticketing
Ticketmaster and SeatGeek also operate in the secondary market, while StubHub and etickets.ca are the primary resale platforms.
International/domestic splits & genres
Country music is on the rise in Canada, with big festivals like Montreal’s Lasso, Alberta’s Big Valley Jamboree, and Ontario’s Boots and Hearts going strong.
Cultural analysis
Federally, Canada is making big strides in its goals to protect consumers from “junk fees” and fraudulent resellers. In its 2024 federal budget, the government laid out three primary goals: all-in pricing for transparency, protection against excess fees, and cracking down on unethical reseller practices, specifically those using bot technology.
The federal government encourages provincial authorities to take their own action. Ontario has maintained its Ticket Sales Act, requiring sellers to list a face-value price (including an itemised list of all fees) and the seat location.
Ontario has maintained its Ticket Sales Act, requiring sellers to list a face-value price (including an itemised list of all fees) and the seat location.
Ticketmaster is also bound in a compliance agreement by the federal government’s Competition Bureau “to ensure Canadians are not subject to junk fees and deceptive advertising,” a decision that came about in 2019 after the multinational firm was ordered to pay CA$4.5m for misleading pricing in online ticket sales.
Taxes & charges
Taxes and charges vary across the nation.
Country Profile: Canada
From top to bottom, coast to coast, business is steady in Canada. At the top end, major tours from the likes of Tate McRae, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, and Taylor Swift (whose Eras Tour closes in Vancouver in December) all roll through the North American nation in 2024.
“Coming out of Covid, what I think we’ve all seen is the development of multiple genres and a new generation of fans, and so it all kind of leads to a perfect storm of a very healthy business that shows no signs of slowing down,” says Arthur Fogel, Live Nation CEO of global touring. The US-headquartered multinational is the leading national promoter in a market that’s often segmented at local and provincial levels.
In a landmass as vast as Canada, many major promoters operate primarily around their base: in the East, evenko dominates in Montreal, while Sonic Entertainment is set up in Nova Scotia. On the other side, F7 Entertainment lies in Calgary, while Blueprint is headquartered in Vancouver.
Also in Montreal, EMM Williams Productions is improving its offerings with an “evolving entertainment landscape,” says the company’s president, Tony Haswani. The firm is now focusing on a “magic walk” experience, with plans to sell 650,000 tickets globally each year.
As such, there’s a market for everything across Canada.
There’s a market for everything across Canada.
“Canada’s live entertainment market is thriving due to its diverse audience. Major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are key destinations for touring artists, making Canada a vibrant hub for live performances,” says Melissa Giampaolo, evenko’s VP commercialisation, entertainment, and festival management.
In March 2024, the federal government increased the Canadian Arts Presentation Fund with CA$31m over the next two years, which will help fund recipients who are primarily not-for-profit presenters and festivals. But for independent commercial companies, federal funding is minimal or non-existent. Though the Canada Music Fund, which was critical in helping to keep local venues, independent promoters, and the greater live music ecosystem alive during the pandemic, also saw an increase, it is unclear if or how this funding will directly support this cohort moving forward.
“Independent commercial live music companies, especially smaller ones, still do not benefit from a dedicated funding programme,” says Erin Benjamin, CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association. “Without targeted funding for this portion of the ecosystem, the ability of promoters and venues to take risks is reduced,” she says.
Mitigating risks for grassroots artists and promoters is an intrinsic element of Side Door, a platform that supports up-and-coming artists in self-promoting their gigs. Bringing venues, artists, and promoters together, the site helps simplify and streamline the process to provide financial stability and reduce the risks associated with live performances.
“Artists know a ballpark of what they’re gonna get before they even show up at the door”
“Artists know a ballpark of what they’re gonna get before they even show up at the door,” says co-founder Laura Simpson.
The platform now hosts over 10,000 artists and recently surpassed 1,500 total shows, two major milestones for the Canada-based programme. While they have operations in both Canada and the US, Simpson says European expansion is a future goal.
For Toronto-headquartered MRG Live, which also has offices in the US, this year marked their first shows in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. Over the past year, they’ve promoted 500 shows (a rough 20-25% year-on-year growth in show capacity) including Chappell Roan, The Last Dinner Party, and Reneé Rapp.
Beyond country, pop, and rock, MRG Live COO Jacob Smid says that the comedy and sports sectors now make up 20% of their show counts.
“We have a portfolio of venues that we’re trying to fill, so we’re making sure that we can get inventory and build it, but we also want to grow as a promoter,” he says. “Trying to figure out how to remain competitive and also be responsible business operators in the environment is something that’s a little bit challenging.”
Arena Market: Canada
“Canada’s live entertainment market is thriving due to its diverse audience. Major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are key destinations for touring artists, making Canada a vibrant hub for live performances,” says Melissa Giampaolo, VP of commercialisation / festival management at the country’s largest independent promoter and producer, evenko.
The management company is also behind the 22,000-capacity Bell Centre, and has its hand in many endeavours, like the newly established country festival LASSO. The firm plans to start renovations on the country’s biggest arena, located in the eastern city of Montréal, this summer.
“This renovation will include the installation of a central bar and the creation of a flexible space that can be utilised for private events and exclusive VIP experiences,” says Giampaolo. “Additionally, we are updating our jumbotron and have recently completed a comprehensive overhaul of our power systems.”
The venue roughly divides programming into thirds, splitting one-third with Montréal Canadiens hockey games and two-thirds with A-list tours. It’s due to host Peso Pluma, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott, and Bruce Springsteen before the year is out.
In Toronto, also in the east, though over 500km away, lies the Coca-Cola Coliseum (7,800) and the Scotiabank Arena (19,800). Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, a record number of tours passed through Scotiabank Arena over the past year, including Twice, Burna Boy, and Bad Bunny.
“We continue to be very proud of the array of artists that play our venues.”
“We continue to be very proud of the array of artists that play our venues. Both Coca-Cola Coliseum and Scotiabank Arena have seen a rise in diverse talent, which we work very closely with our content providers on,” says Melissa Bubb- Clarke, SVP music and live events at MLSE, the operators of both venues. She adds that more Latin and Asian acts are trending.
In line with the 25-year milestone, Scotiabank Arena is undergoing a CA$350m refurbishment project, dubbed its ‘Reimagination’ initiative. Completed updates include remodelled executive suites, a new lounge, and two of Amazon’s self-service Just Walk Out stores, with phase two of the project kicking off this summer.
Just south of Toronto sits Hamilton, where Oak View Group are pouring CA$280m into revamping FirstOntario Centre (18,000). Upgrades to the facility will include new premium seats, enhanced acoustics, improved sightlines, upgraded concourses, and optimised suites and artist lounges, with the venue planning to reopen in autumn 2025.
Further up the eastern coast in Nova Scotia is the Scotiabank Centre (11,000), not to be confused with the aforementioned Scotiabank Arena. Home to the Halifax Mooseheads and the Halifax Thunderbirds, the venue hosted over 580,000 fans across 110 events in 2023, generating over $53.3m.
Its 2023 calendar included The Doobie Brothers, Shania Twain, and former US first lady Michelle Obama, with Queens of the Stone Age, The Harlem Globetrotters, Snoop Dogg, and Cirque du Soleil on tap for 2024.
“Halifax is an exponentially growing city with an increasingly diverse population, promising significant opportunity”
“Halifax is an exponentially growing city with an increasingly diverse population, promising significant opportunity,” says Colby Pridham, director of business development. “We continue to work on major event bids that represent the range of markets and demographics in Halifax today, while we plan with the next decade of growth in mind.”
This year, Scotiabank Centre will upgrade its ice and cooling plant, an important element for its two ice hockey tenants.
With a major concentration of venues in the eastern portion, the capital city of Ottowa is home to both the Canadian Tire Centre (20,000) and TD Place (10,000). In Quebec City, the Vidéotron Centre can welcome 17,500 attendees.
Throughout the vast middle of the country sits a few arenas: Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome (17,100), Edmonton’s Rogers Place (18,500), Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre (16,345), and Saskatoon’s SaskTel Centre (15,500).
On the western seaboard, Vancouver boasts both the Rogers Arena (20,763) and the Pacific Coliseum (17,500).