2 days Ago By Barry Moran
CONCERTGOERS should be compensated if an artist quits their gig early — a Fine Gael Senator says.Maria Byrne said are several cases where musicians have arrived late and cut concerts short — leaving fans out of pocket and frustrated.She said: “Last summer we saw fans of Nicki Minaj disappointed after she arrived late and finished her gig early at Malahide Castle.
“We’ve seen this happen again this week, with Sean Paul arriving an hour and a half late and only playing for 45 minutes.“Fans are paying huge sums to see them and are feeling very short-changed.“The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has previously said that concerts are covered under consumer protection laws and suggested that disappointed fans may be able to take legal action.
“Under consumer protection law, traders must supply services, including concerts, that match the contract they have in place with the consumer.“However, that doesn’t guarantee a refund and if the ticket provider is not willing to refund the ticket, then consumers need to make a complaint via the CPCC, who will examine if there was a breach of contract.”Nicki Minaj’s concert at Malahide Castle was branded the “worst concert ever” by furious Irish concertgoers last summer.
She failed to appear on time on the stage and it was reported that she was an hour and a half late for her show, leaving fans waiting in the rain.Nicki only performed for about 50 minutes and was also spotted calling out her DJ for playing the wrong setlist, making her storm off the stage. After the disastrous concert gig, many Irish concertgoers contacted the MCD for a refund.
The organisation confirmed that refund requests cannot be fulfilled as no contractual obligations were breached during the performance.However, the upset music fans were told they could redeem tickets to a different gig at Malahide Castle next year.They were given an alternative form to use vouchers for the complimentary performance at the location to make up for the disastrous gig.
‘FANS WANT REFUND’The senator added: “Fans who complained about the Nicki Minaj concert last year were offered tickets to another concert at the same venue next year.”“While this was welcome, more needs to be done to ensure fans are fully compensated.“If an artist cancels or reschedules then fans are entitled to a refund.
If they only play half of their planned slot, then fans get nothing unless the concert provider are willing to pay up.“I’ll continue to work with my colleague Minister Peter Burke to ensure all concertgoers are protected.“Fans want refunds, and we need to ensure they can get them.
We need to guarantee that when a performer fails to play a full concert, fans are protected.”Nicki Minaj arrived late and finished her gig early at Malahide Castle last summer, angering her Irish fansGetty Images - Getty.
