White House Orders Ticketmaster To Reveal Ticket Prices Upfront Before Ticket Selling

In an effort to solve the current ordeal on Ticketmaster versus the purchasing public, US President Joe Biden recently issued a pronouncement that Live Nation and Ticketmaster, along with other Ticket companies, will finally be giving the full prices of tickets upfront.

This is as opposed to the common industry practice of last-minute service fees being added at the checkout of the online process.

President Biden vs Ticketmaster

Speaking at a White House Event, President Biden reveals a comprehensive solution to tackle the deceptive process of hidden fee pricing at the checkout process of online ticketing systems.

"The solution is what is called 'all-in pricing,' and that's where companies fully disclose their fees up front, when you start shopping, so you're not surprised at the end when you check out," Biden said at the White House event as quoted by CNN.

According to National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard, Biden has been working to lower the cost of "hardworking families" by bringing down inflation. Among the things they want to slash is hidden junk fees like in the ticketing system. (via Variety)

"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," Brainard said in a statement.

Present at the White House event were representatives from various ticketing companies like Live Nation, SeetGeek, Confluence, Airbnb, xBK, TickPick, DICE, and even the Newport Festivals Foundation.

The move wasn't necessarily for the live music industry but in general. Live Nation and Ticketmaster have experienced congressional and public pressure because of the disastrous presale of Taylor Swift's "The Eras" Tour and even the exorbitant prices of Bruce Springsteen's concert.

Ticketmasters's Promise

Following President Biden's recent pronouncement, Live Nation has agreed and followed suit. According to a statement, all tickets sold via Ticketmaster starting September 2023 will have all the prices upfront for more than 200 venues on all of their events.

"Live Nation is proud to provide fans with a better ticket buying experience. We'll continue advocating for innovations and reforms that protect that amazing connection," Live Nation Venues President Tom See said in a statement.

Biden proposed legislation called the "Junk Fee Protection Act" that seeks to eliminate excessive fees in online concerts, sporting events, airline fees, TV termination fees, phone, and internet service fees, and even surprise resort and destination fees.

Tags

Ticketmaster, Live Nation, White House