Anyone who has tried to get tickets for a popular live event lately is sure to be familiar with the online “aftermarket” that has been created by sites such as stubhub, ticketsnow and increasingly ebay and even craigslist. As a huge fan of live entertainment – both athletic events and concerts, I have long been familiar with the near monopoly (at least in Canada) that has been maintained by the omnipresent Ticketmaster, but I’ve recently (and somewhat reluctantly) become more familiar with a few of these aftermarket domains.

Toronto is a particularly high-selling market for both athletics (featuring a lacklustre at best hockey team (let the backlash begin) that still manages to sell out in minutes year after year, and a newly-founded MLS soccer team that also sold out record time) and live music (with top performers like Bon Jovi adding second, third and even fourth shows due to overwhelming demand). So, when one of the most-highly anticipated tours of the summer was announced earlier this year, it was a no-brainer that Radiohead tickets would be a hot item that would sell out in minutes flat. Continue…