WASHINGTON – The US Senate has introduced a long-awaited bill aimed at addressing consumer concerns regarding ticket buying for live entertainment events. Titled the Fans First Act, the bill seeks to implement a range of measures such as ensuring sellers disclose the full price of a ticket, including all fees, specifying the seat or section assigned to a customer, and distinguishing between tickets sold by their original seller versus resellers or brokers.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., among others, also aims to strengthen the existing ban on the use of computer bots often employed by scalpers. It would require ticket sellers to offer full refunds in case of event cancellations, impose significant penalties for abuse, and mandate a study of the ticketing market by the Government Accountability Office, which would subsequently provide recommendations.
This development comes in response to mounting complaints over exorbitant fees, inflated prices, and misleading practices in the entertainment industry over the past year. Both primary ticketing companies like Ticketmaster, known for representing artists and venue box offices, and resale marketplaces such as StubHub and Vivid Seats, have faced criticism for their selling practices.
A Judiciary Committee hearing held in January highlighted the frustrations with the industry after Ticketmaster’s system crashed during a Taylor Swift presale. Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster, was accused of being a monopoly that harms consumers. In February, President Joe Biden mentioned the issue in his State of the Union address, vowing to eliminate service fees and enforce upfront disclosure of all charges. Following pressure from the White House, ticket sellers like Ticketmaster and SeatGeek agreed to introduce all-in pricing for tickets in June.
Despite these concerns, the concert industry recently achieved its most successful year to date. Pollstar, a trade publication, reported that global ticket sales for the Top 100 tours reached a record-breaking $9.17 billion in 2023, reflecting a 46% increase from the previous year and a 65% surge from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The newly proposed legislation aims to address these challenges and bring about necessary changes to protect consumers in the ticket buying process. By introducing transparency requirements and penalties for non-compliance, the bill seeks to restore trust and fairness among ticket sellers, ensuring a better experience for fans of live entertainment events.
