TICKET Act Provisions Poised for Passage in Govt. Funding Bill

Consumers may soon see a significant shift in how tickets to live events are marketed and sold, as provisions brought forth in the TICKET Act have been included in a government funding bill expected to pass in the coming days. The language, if passed as written, will mandate “all-in” pricing, ban so-called “speculative” ticket sales, crack down on websites that deliberately mislead consumers into believing they are the primary seller, and require refunds for events that are postponed or cancelled.

The TICKET Act provisions come on Page 350 of the sprawling funding bill, which will be reviewed by the House Rules Committee this week, after which the full House and Senate would vote on it. The House passed the TICKET Act as a standalone bill in overwhelming fashion earlier this year. The Continuing Resolution is expected to pass, though last-minute efforts to change language are always possible, particularly in light of the massive lobbying effort that always accompanies legislation that might impact the operation of companies like Live Nation Entertainment.

“These protections will lower costs, increase transparency, and save lives in New Jersey and across the nation,” says Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who was a co-author of the TICKET Act and lauded its inclusion in the CR. “With this funding bill, we’ve ensured these safeguards will continue regardless of who occupies the White House. Americans deserve upfront transparency when buying tickets or booking hotels… I also want to recognize the leadership of my former colleague and friend, Rep. Bill Pascrell, who was a longtime advocate for enacting legislation to protect ticket buyers.”

Inclusion of the language regulating ticketing came despite strong last-second lobbying efforts by the National Independent Venue Association, which reportedly had member organizations contacting individual legislators urging them to cut the ticketing language out of the CR. That action was slammed by consumer groups, who pointed out the hypocrisy of the venue organization going against its own public endorsement of the consumer-friendly compromises of the TICKET Act.

READ MORE: Venue Lobby Reverses Support; Seeks to Kill Bipartisan TICKET Act

It is believed that NIVA’s efforts to kill the ticketing language in the CR were driven by a desire to make a renewed push for the “Fans First Act” legislation backed by it and other members of the so-called “Fix The Tix” coalition (and modeled largely on Live Nation Entertainment’s legislative agenda) once the new Republican administration takes over in the new year.

“All players in the system had input and TICKET Act was the compromise. [Organizations like NIVA and Live Nation/Ticketmaster] endorsed it but clearly never really did,” one source with knowledge of the backdoor lobbying effort told TicketNews. “Federal and state lawmakers should appreciate that some who claim to represent venues and artists are just the same as Ticketmaster – it’s “my way or nothing” with them. The TICKET Act is a fan protection bill and that’s what it will do. It’s not about protecting for-profit industry players, nor should it be.”

Despite that effort, the language made it into the legislation intact, meaning that barring dramatic last-second actions taken that would amend or kill the spending bill, the consumer-friendly reforms of the TICKET Act will be passed before the end of the year.

Christmas came early for America’s sports fans! Congress’ inclusion of the TICKET Act in the CR is the best gift it could have given fans. If the CR passes as is, fans will enjoy all-in pricing, refunds, and bans on several deceptive practices in the ticketing industry. We hope…

— Sports Fans Coalition (@sportsfanorg) December 18, 2024

The Federal Trade Commission had also taken action this week on bringing greater transparency for ticket-buying consumers, announcing its final rule making “all-in” price transparency a requirement across the country on Tuesday.

Read More: FTC Pushes Rule Making All-In Ticket Prices Mandatory