It’s open season on the secondary ticket market for another year in New York.
The New York Assembly took care of that by extending a pair of bills for another year that allows the re-selling of tickets. It is part of a major revision to the laws of 1920 relating to the regulation of boxing and wrestling matches, extended to “tickets to places of entertainment.”
The extension maintains an open secondary market until May 14, 2016 for New York venues. It is “the first and only ban on restricted ticketing, the use of which make ticket transfers impossible and prevent fans from giving away or reselling unused tickets,” said David Spielman, the public affairs and community manager for the advocacy group Fan Freedom.”
He said the extension is “good news.”
Is assures ticket holders that, regardless of the date or the place of the concert, the tickets could be re-sold.”
The premise behind the extensions is to bide some time while the secondary ticket market and the technology behind it, evolves, according to a summary of the bills.
“In the 2010 legislative session, significant changes were made to the regulation of the sale and resale of tickets to places of entertainment,” the summary states. “As the market evolves, ensuring the protection of consumers and their rights becomes increasingly important. This legislation allows for additional time to fully understand the effects these regulatory changes and new technologies will have on industry and consumers alike by extending the current provisions.”
Spielman said the extension maintains an open re-selling market for all New York venues from the midtown basketball game to the theater district to hockey in Buffalo to a concert in Glens Falls.
“The ticket of the the day is totally transferable, which is what we have been asking for,” he said.
Spielman added the goal, and those discussions will begin over the summer when the session is out, is to make the law permanent.