Live Nation and Ticketmaster have made commitments to making the full price of tickets, including all fees, up front in the process of buying them, instead of waiting till late in the checkout process.
Via Hollywood Reporter, the announcement came as President Biden invited private sector companies like Ticketmaster to the White House today for a roundtable discussion about cutting out “junk fees.” Secondary market ticket reseller SeatGeek, who were also in attendance at the meeting, also promised to make it easier for customers to see the full price up front.
Ticketmaster in particular has faced a storm of criticism in the past year, from the Taylor Swift on-sale fiasco to dynamic pricing of Bruce Springsteen tickets that made even nosebleed seats prohibitively expensive, to artists like The Cure‘s Robert Smith, who actively tried to keep ticket prices affordable (and actually got Ticketmaster to reduce fees).
“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,” said National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard in a written statement. “More companies are heeding the President’s call so that Americans know what they’re paying for up front and can save money as a result.”
Tom See, president of Live Nation Venues, said in a statement, “Live Nation is proud to provide fans with a better ticketing buying experience. We have thousands of crew working behind the scenes every day to help artists share their music live with fans, and we’ll continue advocating for innovations and reforms that protect that amazing connection.”
Also at Thursday’s meeting were representatives from Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation, who all already use all-in pricing.
“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. It is also just a first step towards addressing junk fees in the economy,” The White House said in a statement.
Earlier this year Biden proposed legislation called The Junk Fee Protection Act that would cut down on junk fees at concerts, sporting events, airlines, resorts, TV/phone/internet services and more. It has yet to pass Congress.
Hidden fees on concert tickets are already banned in New York from a bill signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in June of 2022.