Maryland lawmakers have passed legislation aimed at reforming the ticket-buying experience for consumers in the Old Line State, just as its legislative session ended this week. The bill was fiercely debated in the legislature after initially proposing a hard cap on ticket resale prices, though in the end even Ticketmaster fought against such caps staying on in the finished bill.
If signed by Governor Wes Moore, the new regulations will include establishing ticket price transparency, requirements for ticket sellers to provide full refunds if an even is cancelled, and a ban on so-called “speculative” ticket sales. It will also fund a comprehensive study of the ticket industry on both primary and resale sides, to assess any consumer issues in need of further remedy.
Controversial from its initial introduction, the legislation was initially clearly aimed at installing significant new regulations only on ticket resale marketplaces, despite the fact that widespread consumer anger over the past two years has focused largely on issues like surging ticket prices on the primary ticketing market and allegedly monopolistic behavior by Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster.
A lobbyist testifying on behalf of the National Independent Venue Association and the parent company of Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion pushed hard for these one-sided price caps, using what one resale marketplace characterized as deliberately misleading data points in her testimony.
Further Reading | TicketNetwork Slams Lobbyist Misleading Resale Scapegoat Ploy
Eventually, the matter of price caps were dropped entirely after it became apparent that sports organizations in the state did not want them – for fear of losing season ticket holders who would not be able to afford their seats if resale was shut down – and even Ticketmaster fought against them.
“My understanding is that [venue lobbyists in Annapolis] had spoken with Ticketmaster, and then Ticketmaster was really putting on the pressure of opposing the cap, too,” Maryland Sen. Dawn Gile told The Daily Record. “There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes with some outside pressure.”
Ticketmaster’s resistance to resale price caps struck Sen. Gile, who introduced the legislation, as odd. but it fits with the Live Nation Entertainment-owned ticketing companies overall legislative game plan: Support regulations that impact its competition exclusively, and oppose ones that impact its own participation in resale. Similar resistance to price caps for tickets considered by the Florida legislature was found earlier this year.
FURTHER READING | Florida Bill Banning Price Surging Dies After Venue Resistance
The new Maryland law would go into effect on July 1 if it is signed.
