By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Related Press
As a Biden administration ban on so-called “junk fees” took impact Monday, Ticketmaster mentioned it can begin displaying the complete worth of a ticket as quickly as shoppers start procuring.
Ticketmaster, lengthy a topic of complaints about its hidden charges, was amongst these focused by the brand new rule, which was introduced in December by the Federal Commerce Fee. The rule requires ticket sellers, accommodations, trip rental platforms and others to reveal processing charges, cleansing charges and different expenses up entrance.
Ticketmaster mentioned Monday it recommended the FTC’s motion.
“Ticketmaster has long advocated for all-in pricing to become the nationwide standard so fans can easily compare prices across all ticketing sites,” Ticketmaster Chief Working Officer Michael Wichser mentioned in a press release.
Ticketmaster mentioned it can additionally inform customers the place they’re in line once they log in to purchase tickets to an occasion. It’ll additionally give real-time updates to clients whose wait occasions exceed half-hour, letting them know ticket worth ranges, availability and whether or not new occasion dates have been added.
Ticketmaster, which is owned by Beverly Hills, California-based live performance promoter Reside Nation, is the world’s largest ticket vendor, processing 500 million tickets every year in additional than 30 nations. Round 70% of tickets for main live performance venues within the U.S. are offered via Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster mentioned Monday’s adjustments will convey North America consistent with the remainder of the world, the place the complete ticket worth was already displayed as quickly as clients began procuring.
It has been within the sizzling seat since 2022, when its web site crashed throughout a presale occasion for Taylor Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The corporate mentioned its web site was overwhelmed by each followers and assaults from bots, which have been posing as shoppers in an effort to scoop up tickets and promote them on secondary websites. 1000’s of individuals misplaced tickets after ready for hours in a web based queue.
Final yr, the U.S. Division of Justice sued Ticketmaster and Reside Nation, accusing them of working an unlawful monopoly that drives up U.S. ticket costs and asking a court docket to interrupt them up. That case is ongoing.
President Donald Trump can be eyeing the business. In March, he signed an government order that he mentioned will assist curb ticket scalping and produce “commonsense” adjustments to the way in which dwell occasions are priced.
Beneath the order, the FTC should guarantee “price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process” and take enforcement to stop unfair, misleading, and anti-competitive conduct.
“Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years — no matter what your politics are — knows that it’s a conundrum,” mentioned Child Rock, who joined Trump within the Oval Workplace as Trump signed the order.
Initially Printed: Could 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM EDT
