In the United States confirmed the cancellation of the show West in Russia. Answers to Ticket Questions

In mid-August, the organizer of Say Agency announced two concerts by Kanye West (Ye) in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11. The cost of tickets, most of which were sold out, ranged from 9 thousand to 160 thousand rubles for seats in the VIP box. On August 24, Gazprom Arena said that it had “not signed any agreements on the lease of a stadium for the event” and “the concert cannot take place on the venue.” Director of Say Agency Anna Subcheva told RBC that before the publication of the message “Gazprom Arena” the Agency had no problems with the site. According to her, as part of the official correspondence, the parties agreed on the specification, after which the agency received a lease agreement.

On September 18, Kanye West’s tour website disappeared the mention of concerts in Russia, although a day earlier they were listed there and there was an opportunity to purchase tickets. Subcheva then told RBC that the disappearance of Russian shows — “reaction to the chaos that we have in the country around his concert.” The head of Say Agency also expressed confidence that when this situation is over, concerts will return to the rapper's website. Earlier, several publications were removed from the Say Agency Telegram channel, which claimed that West’s performances in St. Petersburg would definitely take place.

At the end of September, sources of RBC reported that the concert of the rapper in St. Petersburg will not take place. On September 29, it was announced by the American agency Access Opera, a partner of West's concert tour.

RBC talked with lawyers about what to do if the concert is canceled or postponed, and whether it is possible to replace the performer.

What happens if the Kanye West concert is canceled

“When an event is cancelled, replaced or postponed, the full face value of the ticket shall be refunded. The service fee and the cost of delivery of the offer declares non-refundable as payment for already rendered agency services. When canceling the concert, these amounts can be tried to recover as losses, but this is a separate requirement, said Alexander Nadmitov, managing partner of Nadmitov, Ivanov and Partners. Sergey Uchitel, partner of the Pen & Paper Bar Association, also warned that when canceled, replaced or transferred, the law states the full cost of the ticket, but the organizer separately indicates that the service fee and delivery are not returned.

At the same time, Nadmitov noted that the return does not occur automatically - the buyer must apply to the agent or organizer according to the published procedure.

Expenses for travel and a hotel during cancellation can also be claimed as documented losses - this possibility is directly noted by Rospotrebnadzor in the explanation "On the rights of consumers when canceling a concert." The actual recovery of these amounts depends on the evidence and circumstances of the cancellation, the lawyer added.

Whether the conditions of return of tickets change in case of change of date or place

According to Nadmitov, the concert has not been canceled or postponed. “So now it is an ambiguity, not a cancellation, and that is fundamental to the rights of the buyer. The rules of return have not changed – neither the law nor the text of the offer. Another thing has changed: there is a factual reason to believe that the event is in question. The right to demand full cost arises at the moment when the concert is officially canceled, replaced or postponed, the lawyer said.

He stressed that the change of site is also the basis for a full return. If the concert is eventually held in another stadium or in another city, then for the viewer this is a change in the essential conditions of the service. Rospotrebnadzor directly refers the change of venue to cases when the money is returned in full. The same with the transfer of the date: the viewer is not obliged to agree to a new date - he has the right to choose money, Nadmitov explained. Alexei Koytov, Chairman of the Consumers Union of the Russian Federation, also pointed out that moving the concert to another city would be “considered a significant violation of services, which gives consumers an unconditional basis for refunding tickets and reimbursement of collateral damages (for example, non-refundable plane tickets for visitors from another city).”.

“It does not matter whether the promotional ticket is or not. It does not matter, even if it is prescribed in the offer, this condition infringes on the rights of consumers, and therefore insignificant (invalid), Koitov said. Lawyer of the Society for Consumer Protection Igor Zverev also stressed that the venue of the concert is an essential condition of the contract, Art. 432 of the Civil Code of Russia, an important invariable condition of the obligation.

As explained by private practicing lawyer, member of the Association of lawyers of Russia Alexander Aleshin, the offer of the service ticket sales Intickets does not give the organizer the direct right to unilaterally change the city of the concert: such a condition is not in the text. It only proceeds from the fact that the rules for holding and attending the event are determined by the organizer, and directly recognizes the transfer as the basis for returning the ticket, the lawyer explained.

Speaking about the scenario, if the date is changed, Master noted that the transfer is not a legal way to “freeze” the money until the new date: the law puts the cancellation, replacement and transfer in one row and allows the viewer to claim the full cost of the ticket. According to the published offer of the organizer, we are talking about the return of the nominal value.

The designation of the cancellation as a transfer does not deprive the buyer of the right to a refund: he can either use the ticket on a new date or demand money, Nadmitov said. Paragraph 4.9 of the offer also expressly provides for the return of the nominal value of the ticket upon cancellation, replacement or transfer.

Is it possible to return a promotional ticket to Kanye West

Tickets purchased from August 14 to August 23, 2026, the organizer directly declared non-refundable on the initiative of the buyer: the law allows you to establish such a regime for special programs and promotions. So the “plans changed” argument for these tickets probably won’t work. But the cancellation, replacement or postponement of the concert removes this irrevocability.

Nadmitov also confirmed that special restrictions may apply to tickets purchased under a special promotion or preferential program if they were pre-set by the organizer.

Nadmitov pointed out that “the non-refundability of the promotional ticket limits the buyer only in the scenario of “changed his mind to go”.

“It doesn’t work if the event is cancelled, replaced or postponed – then everyone gets the full value, including the customers of Start.” This follows both from the law, where the refund rule for cancellation is formulated without exceptions for promotional tickets, and from the offer of the organizer itself, which calls cancellation and transfer the only case when such tickets are accepted back. Therefore, it is more correct to describe the situation as follows: today it is not the right to money that differs, but the right to withdraw from the transaction ahead of schedule, without waiting for the outcome. A person with a regular ticket can pick up 100% right now. The buyer with a promotional ticket does not have such an opportunity and is forced to wait for an official decision on the concert, but if the concert does not take place in the stated form, date and place, he will receive the full nominal value on a par with all, the lawyer said.

Can Kanye West be replaced by another artist

West's concert organizer Say Agency has previously stressed that the rapper cannot be replaced at a concert where he is the main artist. Lawyers in a conversation with RBC noted that in the case of a solo concert of the performer, the headliner determines the event itself and its replacement would mean the replacement of the event itself and would give grounds to demand a refund. “Replacing him by another performer, in my view, would mean replacing or substantially changing the event. The buyer has the right to refuse this option and demand the full cost of the ticket, Nadmitov said. Zverev also believed that the viewer has the right to refuse such conditions.

Rospotrebnadzor directly refers the replacement of the declared artist, the change of the name and venue of the event to changes that give the right to a full refund: “If the cultural and entertainment event was canceled, postponed or changed (for example, the artist was replaced, the name or venue was changed) at the initiative of the organizer, then the monetary amount paid by the visitor for the ticket is subject to refund in full.” Therefore, the organizer cannot oblige the viewer to accept the replacement of the headliner without the right of return, Nadmitov explained.

Can I return my Kanye West concert ticket if I change my mind

For ordinary (non-option) tickets to the musician’s concert, a standard return scale is in effect, explained Sergey Teacher, partner of the Pen & Paper Bar Association. The same data was given by Nadmitov:

100% refund - no later than ten days; return at least 50% - five to ten days before the event; return at least 30% - three to five days; the organizer has the right not to return anything - less than three days.

Nadmitov stressed that when returning a ticket on his own initiative, the application must be submitted no later than three days before the event.

The exception is a documented illness of the viewer himself or the death of a member of his family or a close relative (paragraph 4.5 of the offer). “In these cases, you can claim the full cost even when applying immediately before the event and in a short time after it, subject to compliance with the procedure and the submission of supporting documents,” Nadmitov said.

The lawyer also drew attention to paragraph 4.12 of the offer, which allows you to additionally withhold up to 10% of the nominal value for processing the return, calling it doubtful. Neither Article 52.1 nor Regulation No. 1491 provide for such a commission: the law designates the specific amount of the refundable part of the ticket price, and when applying ten days or earlier – “100% of the ticket price”, without any deductions. Therefore, this condition, in my opinion, infringes the rights of the consumer and can be challenged, Nadmitov said. RBC sent a request to Say Agency.

Zverev in an interview with RBC explained that the return of the ticket and refuse the service is possible article 32 of the law “On protection of consumer rights”, but it provides for reimbursement of the contractor actually incurred costs. “There is a practice of withholding part of the cost by the contractor, which is prescribed in the contract (site, offer, ticket),” he said.

As explained by Nadmitov, the organizer in the offer of the concert West specified LLC “Say Agency” (Say Agency), tickets are sold through an agent – ticket operator (Intickets). Part of the questions (service fee, return technique) refers to the agent, not the organizer.

Will the conditions for returning tickets change in case of force majeure

Force majeure does not turn a failed concert into a service, the Master noted. “Force majeure is not a magic ‘no money back’ button.” First of all, it may exempt the organizer from liability, for example, for damages or sanctions, but does not in itself turn a failed concert into a service rendered and does not cancel the special rule on the refund of the ticket price upon cancellation or postponement. An exception is possible if, in this emergency situation, the government specifically establishes a different procedure or terms of return, the lawyer said.

Nadmitov expressed a similar position. “It is not enough to call a circumstance a force majeure in an offer. The organizer must prove the urgency and unavoidability of the circumstances and the causal connection with the cancellation of the concert. The actions of the contractors of the organizer, as a general rule, do not apply to force majeure. The artist’s illness is assessed in relation to specific circumstances and does not automatically become force majeure just because it is written in paragraph 6.5 of the offer.

He also confirmed Master’s assertion that the exception is possible with the official emergency regime or high alert, as was the case with the coronavirus. A significant precedent is the coveted government decree No. 830 of 03.06.2020, when instead of money, viewers were first offered vouchers with the right to receive money later. But even in this design, the order and deadline for fulfilling the obligation changed, and not the right to money itself, Nadmitov recalled.

Lawyer of the Society for Consumer Protection Igor Zverev also confirmed to RBC that the “circumstances of force majeure” do not give legal grounds for the contractor to withhold the amounts: there is a duty to provide a service when these circumstances disappear.