Ticket prices bill overview:
- Who: Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have introduced a bill aiming to add transparency to ticket prices and fees on the secondary market.
- Why: The Fans First Act aims to require all information be presented up front regarding live event tickets before the purchasing process begins.
- Where: The ticket prices and fees bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have introduced the Fans First Act, aiming to bring transparency to the secondary ticket market.
The bill would require upfront disclosure of the cost of tickets, including fees along with other requirements:
- A breakdown of the costs and details included in the price, actual seat, clear terms and conditions and if the seller is the original seller
- Proof of purchase within 24 hours
- A full refund requirement when events are canceled
- A Government Accountability Office study on the marketplace
Klobuchar led a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier in the year that showed the need to promote competition and protect consumers. The hearing came following large outages and issues surrounding the November 2022 sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s 2023 tour.
“Bots, hidden fees, and predatory practices are hurting consumers whether they want to catch a home game, an up-and-coming artist or a major headliner like Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “From ensuring fans get refunds for canceled shows to banning speculative ticket sales, this bipartisan legislation will improve the ticketing experience.”
New requirements aim to stop bad actors in marketplace
The bill has several mechanisms intended to stop bad actors in the marketplace, including:
- Civil penalties for using illegal practices and creation of a website for fans to report issues
- Prevention of spec ticket sales where the seller does not possess the actual ticket
- Prevention of deceptive websites pretending to be legitimate sellers
- A requirement that Better Online Ticket Sales Act violations are reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and that the FBI shares ticketing violations with FTC
A Senate subcommittee issued a subpoena in November to Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which together make up Live Nation Entertainment, in connection with their business practices involving prices and fees for tickets sold to live events.
Have you paid hidden fees for tickets to a live event through the secondary market? Let us know in the comments.
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7 thoughts onSenate introduces bill that would require secondary sellers to disclose full ticket prices, including fees
Yep!
ticket master is horrible with fees
Please add me. I am tired of looking at one price and then having to pay a higher one when I check out.
Yes I have paid hidden fees for tickets to a live event through the secondary market and am glad this class action is happening. You really don’t see the whole price of a ticket until you enter the checkout
This should apply to TicketMaster as well. They often don’t show the whole price of a ticket until you enter the checkout. There needs to be a cap requirement on how much ticket vendors and reselling websites are allowed to charge in fees. StubHub will charge anywhere from 25-40% the price of a ticket JUST in fees on the buyer side, meanwhile encouraging sellers to increase their prices due to the selling fees. It is absolutely ridiculous.
Add me
Event!Tickets.com charged me $171 for a single ticket…..when I downloaded it, I noticed it was one of 4 tickets……originally priced at $40. I bought my single ticket for the price of all 4. There should be more oversight on how much these ticket resellers charge…..because it’s just outrageous!