As a Biden administration ban on so-called "junk fees" took effect Monday, Ticketmaster said it will start displaying the full price of an event ticket as soon as consumers begin shopping. Ticketmaster, long a subject of complaints about its hidden fees, was among the targets of the new rule, which was announced in December by the Federal Trade Commission. The rule requires ticket sellers, hotels, vacation rental platforms, and others to disclose processing fees, cleaning fees, and other charges up front, the AP reports. Ticketmaster said Monday it commends the FTC's action.
"Ticketmaster has long advocated for all-in pricing to become the nationwide standard so fans can easily compare prices across all ticketing sites," said Michael Wichser, chief operating officer, in a statement. Ticketmaster said it will also tell shoppers where they are in line when they log in to buy tickets to an event. It will give real-time updates to customers whose wait times exceed 30 minutes, letting them know ticket price ranges, availability, and whether new event dates have been added. Ticketmaster, which is owned by concert promoter Live Nation, is the world's largest ticket seller. Around 70% of tickets for major concert venues in the US are sold through Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster said Monday's changes will bring North America in line with the rest of the world; the full ticket price was already displayed everywhere else as soon as customers started shopping. The company has been in the hot seat since 2022, when its site crashed during a presale event for a Taylor Swift tour, causing thousands of people to lose tickets after waiting for hours online. Last year, the US Department of Justice sued Ticketmaster and Live Nation, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly that drives up ticket prices and asking a court to break them up. That case is ongoing. (President Trump signed an executive order to combat ticket scalping in March.)
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