AEG Presents clarifies refunds policy for rescheduled concerts

AEG Presents, the world’s second-largest concert promoter, is clarifying its position on ticket refunds as the COVID-19 lockdown turns the live events space into a desert.

The live music giant will offer refunds for shows that have been rescheduled, but ticket holders will have a 30-day window to put in their request.

From May 1, music fans will have a month after rescheduled dates have been announced to ask for their money back.

In a letter seen by Variety and The New York Times, AEG Presents pitches another idea where ticketholders “will have the options of getting a full refund or donating their money to a charity,” which is not yet confirmed but will be likely be MusicCares.

What’s not clear is AEG’s directive for a show that’s officially postponed, with no new show date, a situation which is very much the norm in the United States, where leaders on both coasts admitted this week there’s little chance for major public gatherings any time in 2020. In Germany, all shows are off until August 31, at the earliest.

The waiting game sucks, but it apparently all we’ve got right now.

AEG Live, the chief rival to Live Nation, has a foothold in Australia through a joint venture struck one year ago with Michael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring.

AEG is also one of Australia’s largest venue operators, with its AEG Ogden JV managing arenas and stadiums across the country, including Qudos Bank Arena, Perth Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Suncorp Stadium.

Australia’s live entertainment industry has been seriously damaged by the shutdown. Live Performance Australia’s CEO Evelyn Richardson has repeatedly warned government to stop dragging their feet on a bailout package, and that “the clock is ticking” on the industry, while the ILostMyGig tracking platform estimates some $330 million has been lost to cancellations and postponements.

Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, hasn’t established a timetable for refunds, though the concerts juggernaut has “essentially promised” an arrangement similar to AEG Presents, due to be announced in the coming days, Variety reports.

“Live Nation’s plan is to continue offering an opportunity for refunds on all of its rescheduled shows as new dates are set,” the company said in a statement. “We anticipate those windows will begin to open up on an event by event basis in the next few weeks.”

If you’ve ever lost sleep pondering whether there’s a difference between a “postponed” and “rescheduled” show, you just got an answer. 

Ticketmaster has come under fire in recent days with scores of blogs blasting the company for changing its refund policy, which the company denies. U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter from California entered the fray, accusing Ticketmaster as having “the worst customer service in any industry.”

Ticketmaster said it has already authorized refunds for more than 11,000 concerts and sporting events, including over 4,000 events that have been postponed. Ticketmaster offers refunds within 30 days for events that are cancelled outright.

But shows that are postponed – essentially stuck in a holding pattern – are in a difficult basket, with the company often relying on the host venues to make a decision on refunds.

Through March 31, Live Nation has had eight thousand shows impacted by the shutdown, with 15 million tickets sold for these shows. Out of that total, seven thousand shows with 14 million tickets sold were postponed, accounting for 90% of tickets impacted, reads a statement issued earlier this week.

The remaining 10% of tickets, or 1.6 million, were for shows that were cancelled.

Refunds have been issued for tickets for all cancelled shows, reads the corporate statement, and LN expects to allow “some refunds” for postponed shows in the U.S. and “select international markets” as rescheduled dates are announced.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.