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Business News Live Business
Australian fans unhappy at 50% refund for abandoned Janelle Monáe show
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 27 May 2014
Live Nation has begun the process of issuing refunds after a Janelle Monáe and Kimbra co-headline tour of Australia was cancelled due to the former’s ill-health, but some are not happy with the offer they have received.
The tour was actually cancelled mid-show during a Melbourne concert once Monáe’s ill-health was confirmed, and ticketholders for that gig have only been offered a 50% refund, on the grounds that they got to see Kimbra perform before the event was aborted.
An email from Ticketmaster informed fans: “[Promoter] Live Nation has advised that due to the inconvenience caused by the mid-show cancellation of the Janelle Monáe with Kimbra show which took place at the Forum Melbourne on Saturday 17 May 2014, a 50% refund of your total ticket value will be processed”.
Now, while you could debate whether or not the balance of power in a Kimbra/Janelle Monáe double-header amounts to a 50/50 split, many have already pointed out that the advertised big finish of each show was a set from both performers and their bands together. And that is definitely something that attendees of the Melbourne gig did not see – meaning they got somewhat less than 50% of the billed experience.
Disgruntled concertgoers have been flocking to the Ticketmaster Australia and Live Nation Australia & New Zealand Facebook pages to complain about the situation, with the words “disgusted” and “unacceptable” cropping up particularly often.
Live Nation has told Music Feeds that despite the backlash, it will stand by its policy to only offer a 50% refund on the show. Refunds are being returned to the credit cards on which tickets were originally purchased through an automated system.
The original opening show of the tour at the Challenge Stadium in Perth was also cancelled on the day of the event but that was due to a “tight touring schedule”.
