FTC announces ban on hidden concert fees in the US

nme.com:

Originally outlined in October 2023, the new rule puts a halt to “junk fees” being implemented across multiple industries – including online ticket sales.

With new regulations, platforms selling tickets are required to display all mandatory fees upfront during the buying process, instead of them appearing only during the checkout stage.Its impact will also stretch beyond concert ticket sales too, also being applicable to hotels and Airbnb’s that currently include undisclosed fees as customers go to check out.In a new statement shared by the FTC, Chair Lina M.

Khan said (via Consequence): “The FTC’s rule will put an end to junk fees around live event tickets, hotels, and vacation rentals, saving Americans billions of dollars and millions of hours in wasted time.“People deserve to know upfront what they’re being asked to pay — without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees that they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid.”The new regulations also come as, earlier this spring, US House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act in a bid to encourage more pricing transparency and prevent speculative ticketing.

According to Ticketnews, this bill could pass as soon as the end of the week, although both NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) and Live Nation/Ticketmaster have allegedly made a last-minute effort to exclude the TICKET Act from the Continuing Resolution spending bill.While the FTC has announced the ban on hidden concert fees, it should be noted that Live Nation and Ticketmaster responded to complaints last year, and implemented a transparent, all-in pricing model in September 2023.