State's 'Taylor Swift Bill' seeks to tackle 'dynamic' ticket pricing issues, exorbitant fees
BOSTON, Mass. (TND) — Following Ticketmaster's debacle where fans of Taylor Swift were unable to purchase tickets to her new concert, lawmakers in Massachusetts have introduced legislation that seeks to eradicate the ills of ticket purchasing.
Rep. Dan Carey and Sen. John Velis both introduced identical bills in the state's House and Senate. H.259 and SD.2456, the “Act[s] Ensuring Transparent Ticket Pricing,” have been given the same nickname of the "Taylor Swift Bill," in honor of its inspiration.
According to WFXT News, which interviewed Rep. Carey, the bill requires licensed ticket sellers and resellers, even online ones, to include all possible fees in the total price of a ticket to sellers before a purchase is made.
The bill would also reportedly outlaw "dynamic pricing" which has been known to cause ticket prices to skyrocket, which was one of the many prevalent issues Taylor Swift fans experienced when they attempted to buy tickets.
We heard from a lot of fans who were just frustrated with the ticket-selling process. This would be one tool in the toolbox to help know the full price is right away, to see what portion is fees and what portion is the price of the ticket," Carey told WFXT News. "[The bill] doesn’t fully address all the junk fees. It just makes the customer aware of what the fees are at the outset and what portion of what you’re paying is a fee and what’s a ticket price."
Carey told Boston.com that he heard from "tons and tons of people" about their issues with real-time price increases due to dynamic pricing and also the frustration outrageously priced fees brought.
It says, tell us [the price] right away, so that I don’t see a $50 ticket on screen one, I chose those, they’re in my cart, now there’s a $50 convenience fee, now there’s a $75 service fee, now there’s a transaction fee, and all of sudden my $50 ticket costs me $225,” Carey reportedly said.
It’s a consumer protection issue in my mind, let the customer know right away what you are asking and they can decide whether or not they want to pay that," Carey added in his interview with Boston.com.
Sen. Velis reportedly agrees that the "Taylor Swift Bill" is "at the most fundamental level," a "consumer protection bill." Speaking with WFXT News, Velis said that the bill "enables folks to know their budget when they go in to buy these tickets and know this is the amount they’re ultimately going to be asked to spend."
Speaking with Boston.com, Velis said that dynamic pricing is "a really disingenuous, anti-consumer way to make money."
It’s transparency,” Velis reportedly explained. “It’s this: If you want to go to this concert or this game and sit in this seat, this is what it’s going to cost you. This dollar amount is going to your ticket, this dollar amount is going to your seat. So it allows the consumer to say, ‘If I decide to go, this is what it’s going to cost me, period, end of story.'"
Lawmakers in the United States Senate held a Judiciary Committee hearing in January following the Taylor Swift ticketing fiasco in November. Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, were questioned about the debacle at a time when many believed the company held what was essentially a monopoly on ticket sales.
Ticketmaster’s systems failed during the November pre-sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour," Sen. dick Durbin wrote in a January tweet. "While they’ve offered explanations, the failure is symptomatic of a larger problem: lack of competition."
Live Nation Entertainment’s President Joe Berchtold pushed back against claims his company controlled 80% of the live event market, saying instead the figure was closer to the 50% to 60% range.
Berchtold added at that Senate hearing that the live music industry was a $12 billion industry in the United States in 2022. Berchtold also defended Ticketmaster's technology and practices, saying "Its performance in large on-sales is the best in the industry, it has the best marketing capabilities of any ticketing system, and it is far and away the leader in preventing fraud and getting tickets into the hands of real fans."
CEO of SeatGeek Jack Groetzinger also testified before the Senate at that hearing, claiming Ticketmaster's market power led to a lack of innovation in the industry. Groetzinger also called for Ticketmaster and Live Nation to be broken up.
This power over the entire live entertainment industry allows Live Nation to maintain its monopolistic influence over the primary ticketing market,” Groetzinger said. “As long as Live Nation remains both the dominant concert promoter and ticketer of major venues in the U.S., the industry will continue to lack competition and struggle.
Both Massachusetts House and Senate "Taylor Swift Bills" are reportedly similar to federal initiatives and initiatives in other states, but Rep. Carey and Sen. Velis apparently don't want to wait.
Velis told Boston.com that he believes his state should endeavor to push through his proposed consumer protections as soon as possible, rather than depend on a gridlocked Congress.
I just hope someone’s not holding their breath in that arena because they could be holding their breath for a long time," Velis reportedly said.
The "Taylor Swift Bill" is now reportedly before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure in Massachusetts.
Carey and Velis told WFXT News that they’re hoping for a public hearing on the bills soon.