Voting on Transparency in Ticketing Act
The long-awaited account, requiring tickets to display the final price, is set for a full vote in the US Senate.
A Transparency in Ticketing for Key Events (TICKET) Act has garnered broad bipartisan support in Congress and backing from numerous consumer and event advocacy groups. Hidden fees and additional charges for tickets are among the primary complaints consumers have regarding the live event industry.
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, paving the way for its full vote in the Senate Chamber.
Provisions of the Ticketing Act
In addition to requiring “all-in” ticket pricing, the act prohibits “speculative” ticket practices employed by some resale intermediaries who sell tickets they do not yet own. It mandates that ticket sellers provide full refunds in case of cancellations or equivalent tickets in case of delays.
Moreover, the bill prohibits misleading practices by ticket intermediaries, such as falsely claiming to be “official” sellers, and instructs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce compliance with the Bots Act of 2016, which aimed to curb automated bot purchases that affect consumers, although its impact has been minimal.
“Consumers deserve fair, transparent, and reliable ticketing practices, and the ticketing act aims to provide exactly that,” stated John Bray, Vice President of state policy, telecommunications, and fraud at the National Consumer League, one of the supporting groups.
“Hidden fees, speculative tickets, and deceptive marketing practices have plagued the live events industry for too long, leaving fans frustrated and out of pocket.”
Currently, the bill has been stalled for over a year, having been introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2023 and passed by that chamber in May of the same year. However, it has not progressed through the Senate until the end of the 2024 Congress session.
“Hidden fees, speculative tickets, and deceptive marketing practices have plagued the live events industry for too long, leaving fans frustrated and out of pocket.”
John Bray, National Consumer League
Recent Developments
The revised version of the Ticket Law was included in a bill related to “continuing appropriations” towards the end of 2024. However, consumer groups noted that this version contained loopholes that would allow predatory brokers and resale platforms to sell counterfeit tickets under different names. Additionally, they claimed the appropriations bill lacked measures to ensure compliance with the Bots Act.
This “compromise” version was ultimately removed from the spend bill before its enactment.
Acknowledging consumer dissatisfaction with ticket sales, some ticket vendors have proactively adopted “All-In” pricing on their own initiative, rather than waiting for legislation.
Ticketmaster owner Live Nation announced their pricing policy in the U.S. in 2023. During a revenue call, CEO Michael Rapino expressed surprise and excitement that the company’s voluntary move did not negatively impact ticket sales, despite Ticketmaster showing higher prices than sellers who do not disclose comprehensive pricing.
“We were always skeptical about whether this could lead to transformation or impact us. But I believe consumers appreciate being able to see the final price upfront,” said Rapino.
Last year, Live Nation reported that the pricing policy yielded an 8% increase in completed sales during the first six months following its implementation.
Bill requiring ‘all-in’ ticket pricing moves ahead in US Senate
