The long and slow effort for meaningful reform through federal legislation took a step forward this week as the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved the Transparency in Charges for Key Events in Ticketing (TICKET) Act. The legislation, first introduced in the Senate, was combined with the Speculative Ticketing Oversight and Prohibition (STOP) Act in committee, and is now to be considered by the full House of Representatives.
Combined, the two bills address two of the major concerns for consumers purchasing tickets in the United States – hidden fees, and transparency. The TICKET Act would provide for federal requirements that tickets listed for sale be advertised including all required fees from the start, rather than with such fees hidden until the last step of the transaction. The STOP portion deals with so-called speculative ticketing, which are listings on websites for tickets that the seller does not yet possess – it would strengthen the clarity for consumers as to whether or not they were purchasing an actual ticket held by the seller, or the seller’s contract to purchase and provide those tickets at a later date.
Both consumer advocates and Live Nation have spoken in favor of the legislation, which does not yet have a date for its consideration by the larger body. Should the combined bills pass the house, the Senate would still need to act on its side before the legislation could be considered for signing or veto by the White House.
“We’ve long supported a federal all-in pricing mandate, along with other measures including banning speculative ticketing and deceptive websites that trick fans,” Live Nation told Billboard in a statement. “We’ll continue working with policymakers, advocating for even stronger reforms and enforcement to stop predatory practices that hurt fans and artists.”
“As a combined package, this legislation will take important steps toward improving the broken ticketing system,” says the Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights Coalition, which advocates for larger reforms in ticketing including steps it argues would curb Live Nation’s enormous market power and related consumer harms – which the TICKET/STOP act does not. “We hope this bill advances and ultimately becomes law, and that its passage out of committee today is a first step toward enacting broader ticketing market reform that is needed. We look forward to working with lawmakers to accomplish this in the future.”
Despite strong calls from consumers and politicians alike for months, action at the federal level to address the widespread consumer issues in ticketing have struggled to see significant progress in the year since the disastrous sales process for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in late 2022, which resulted in senate hearings and DOJ scrutiny for Live Nation Entertainment. Industry insiders both directly and indirectly related to Live Nation Entertainment are pushing for tighter regulations against ticket resale, including many rules that would effectively make Live Nation, other promoters, and venues a self-regulating entity with full control over their own competition.
Consumer advocates have pushed for broader reforms in the other direction, seeking curbs on Live Nation’s hegemonic control of the industry.
After news of the combined legislation moving out of committee, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) applauded its movement, but also touted the wider reforms promised in his BOSS and SWIFT Act, which address many of the other issues that consumer advocates are pushing for.
“Today, finally, a key House panel made important progress by advancing a measure to create new rules and provide more transparency for America’s broken live events ticket marketplace,” says Pascrell in a news release. “For decades, Americans have been victimized by endless surprise fees and rampant speculation. The recent experiences of Taylor Swift fans are just the tip of the iceberg. Swifties are but part of a long conga line of cases where fans are treated poorly to pad the profits of Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”
“Millions of Americans demand change and a fairer marketplace to buy tickets. I want to thank my BOSS ACT cosponsor, Congressman Frank Pallone, and subcommittee leaders Congressman Gus Bilirakis and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, for their hard work and dedication to advancing ticketing reforms,” he continued. “I will keep pressing for the fuller reforms in the BOSS and SWIFT ACT. But in the meantime, let’s pass this bill on the House floor and show the Senate how to achieve more than the bare minimum for fans everywhere.”
