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New York to ban hidden fees on concert tickets

The bill requires the disclosure of “all-in” prices in the initial ticket listing, instead of later on in the payment process

By IQ on 06 Jun 2022


New York State is set to ban hidden fees on concert tickets, under a new bill that has passed the state senate.

The bill requires the disclosure of “all-in” prices in the initial ticket listing, instead of later on in the payment process.

The pending law also requires that the final ticket price be listed “in a clear and conspicuous manner,” and sellers can’t list the total fee in smaller type sizes.

The new bill passed the state senate and assembly in New York last week (3 June) and now just needs to be signed by governor Kathy Hochul.

Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee chair James Skoufis told Billboard of the deal: “I agree with the statement that people should pay, and will pay, whatever they want to pay for a ticket. But they should know what that is. Oftentimes, they’re not told what that value is.”

The pending law also requires that the final ticket price be listed “in a clear and conspicuous manner”

The bill also prohibits the resale of tickets acquired free of charge, although transferring them to someone else is permitted.

Additionally, charging a delivery fee for tickets received electronically or printed by the consumer is banned. The legislation also increases the penalty for “knowingly” using ticket purchasing bots and software.

Ticketmaster, the largest ticketing company in the country, has commended the new legislation even though it will affect how the company shows prices to customers.

Marla Ostroff, the managing director of Ticketmaster in North America, says: “We are supportive of industry-wide reforms and believe even more can be done to aid artists in delivering tickets to fans at their set price points.”

The bill is pared down from a 2021 version, introduced by Skoufis, that included new rules for refunds inspired by the difficulties many consumers experienced getting money back for events delayed (but not necessarily cancelled) as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

 


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