TICKET Act to Promote Price Transparency Approved by House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act to increase ticket pricing transparency.
In an ongoing effort to regulate the ticketing industry, bipartisan constituents introduced the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act in June 2023. Now, the United States House of Representatives enacted it.
The law passed with strong bipartisan support, receiving 338 votes in favor. The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously adopted the bill in December 2023 with a 45-0 vote. The bill must pass the Senate for President Joe Biden to sign it into law. Currently, there is no floor vote scheduled for the proposal.
If passed, the TICKET Act would mandate that ticket sellers adopt introductory all-in pricing, outlaw speculative ticketing where the seller does not possess the ticket, ban deceptive websites and marketing practices, offer complete refunds for canceled events, provide comparable replacement tickets for any postponed event with buyers’ consent, and require the FTC to report on the enforcement of the 2016 BOTS Act.
now ban dynamic & platinum pricing next https://t.co/hHXp9jOVVn
— alex ✶༊ (@taehyunjined) May 16, 2024
Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced the legislation last year to “improve transparency in the entertainment industry by requiring all event ticket sellers to display the total ticket price — including all required fees — in any advertisement, marketing, or promotional materials.” The legislation aims to provide complete openness throughout the buying process and resemble airline ticket advertising guidelines.
Congresswoman Schakowsky expressed her support for the House’s successful passing of the legislation by sharing a post on X. She commended her colleagues for their dedication and hard work toward creating positive change.
The TICKET Act just passed the House of Representatives!
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) May 15, 2024
We are so close to protecting consumers from fraudulent tickets, surprise costs, and excessive fees.
I'll continue to work with my colleagues to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to @POTUS' desk! https://t.co/AkexP3ClyX
Live Nation Entertainment, one of the leading event promotion companies in the industry, also released an official statement addressing the issue, further contributing to the ongoing discussions and clarifications surrounding the situation.
“Live Nation applauds House lawmakers for advancing the TICKET Act. We’ve led the industry by adopting all-in pricing and support a national law to ensure everyone follows this policy that benefits fans and artists. We also back other ticketing reforms like enhancing anti-bot legislation and banning speculative ticketing and other predatory resale practices. Bipartisan support for these reforms show that protecting fans and artists is in everyone’s interest. We look forward to working with policymakers to make these changes law.”
