WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — The National Independent Talent Organization has called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to expand its recent ruling on junk fees on concert tickets.
The new rules targeting live event tickets were announced in December, require the full price of a concert ticket to be disclosed upfront, effectively making all-in pricing of concert tickets the national standard. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect in April 2025.
“The new FTC rule is a positive step forward in setting a national standard for event tickets. No longer will some fans abandon their tickets at check out when the price balloons past their budget,” NITO Executive Director Nathaniel Marro said in a statement. “But it does nothing to reduce the junk fees buried inside each concert ticket. Transparency that shows the price gap between the amount that an artist wants to charge and the amount the fan pays has been lost with this ruling. As an industry we must still work to keep fees in check to ensure basic entertainment does not become a luxury good.”
However, NITO is calling on the FTC to make the all-in pricing rule a starting point for changes to event ticketing in the U.S.
In addition to price transparency, NITO called on the FTC to address what id described as ‘Junk Fees’ that are currently baked into ticket prices.
In a letter to the FTC, NITO said:
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recent ruling aims to improve the ticket-buying process for fans and now requires ticket sellers to list the checkout price up front in the purchase process. This should help fans compare prices between primary and secondary ticket sellers and we applaud the FTC for this action. NITO always recommends that fans first visit the artist’s official website or check their social media for all ticketing info and purchase tickets via the primary ticket seller when available.
The FTC’s junk fee ruling however does nothing to address or reduce actual junk fees that are now buried inside each concert ticket. Transparency that shows the price gap between the amount that an artist wants to charge and the amount the fan pays has been lost with this ruling.
NITO will continue to work with industry stakeholders to limit the costs passed onto consumers and ensure concert goers pay a fair price to see their favorite artists.
