WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – President Joe Biden is set to announce today (June 15) that live entertainment giant Live Nation (LN) and ticketing goliath Ticketmaster (TM) have pledged to give United States (US) consumers the ability to see the total price of tickets upfront, inclusive of all fees – in the hope of eliminating the rage-inducing experience of watching additional fees add up in the checkout process after the tickets are in your cart.
President Biden promised to do more to eliminate ticketing hidden fees and surcharges in his February State of the Union speech. After the address aired, Live Nation Entertainment (LNE), a merger between TM and LN, agreed to offer upfront pricing on its website.
President Biden then proposed legislation titled the Junk Fee Protection Act – targeting four types of fees: excessive online concert, sporting event and entertainment ticket fees, airline fees, early termination fees for TV, phone and internet services, and resort and destination fees.
The POTUS will sit down at the White House at 1:45 pm EST with representatives from companies that either already provide the all-in pricing upfront or have agreed to give that option to consumers in the following months. Those scheduled to attend the round table discussion are representatives from LN and TM, SeatGeek, xBk, Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, DICE, Confluence, TickPick, and the Newport Festivals Foundation.
Some of the announcements expected from today’s meeting include LN’s pledge that starting in September, all tickets sold for its shows through TM will show a “clear, total price,” according to a White House statement. TM has also said it will add a feature on the platform, allowing customers to see the total price upfront for all other tickets sold.
In addition, it is expected to be announced ticketing platforms SeatGeek, the Midwest-based xBk, and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) will make it easier for ticket buyers to shop on their respective platforms based on the total price of the tickets they sell.
“Today’s voluntary actions demonstrate that companies both big and small recognize the importance of providing consumers with honest, up-front all-in pricing, rather than tricking them with surprise fees at the end of checkout,” a White House fact sheet states. “It is also just a first step towards addressing junk fees in the economy.”
“President Biden has been working to lower costs for hardworking families by bringing down inflation, capping insulin prices for seniors, and eliminating hidden junk fees. More companies are heeding the President’s call, so Americans know what they’re paying for upfront and can save money as a result,” said National Economic Director Lael Brainard.
Following the announcement, stakeholders from the live music industry weighed in.
“Up-front pricing should be the start of comprehensive ticketing reform that protects consumers from price gouging and deceptive practices by predatory resellers. Other needed reforms such as banning speculative tickets and deceptive websites would further protect consumers in the ticketing marketplace. We applaud the President for today’s meeting and look forward to working with his Administration and Congress to make comprehensive, bipartisan ticketing reform a reality,” stated Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the the National Independent Venue Association.
“We applaud President Biden’s announcement on ticket fee transparency as an important first step. NITO calls on all ticket sellers to clearly show fans the total price of a ticket up front but also provide an itemized breakdown so fans understand the ticket price set by the artist and the fees added by ticket sellers. Until Congress acts to eliminate excessive fees and secondary ticketing is carefully regulated, millions of consumers will still be the victim of predatory ticketing practices,” a rep from the National Independent Talent Organization stated.
