New York State is working to save you from the heartache of spending way more on concert tickets than you originally anticipated. A new bill will ban hidden fees from concert tickets, requiring ticketing companies to show “all-in” ticket prices up front rather than letting them sneak up on you at the last minute.
Via Stereogum, as of June 3rd the bill has passed the New York state senate and assembly and is awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. Once signed, both primary and resale vendors will be required to disclose the final ticket cost on concert tickets’ initial listing, offering a more accurate picture of ticket pricing. What’s more, that final ticket cost cannot be printed in a smaller type size than the initial cost — a nod to the bill’s requirement that prices be displayed in a “clear and conspicuous manner.”
First introduced in 2021, the hidden fees bill originally included measures to make it easier for ticket buyers to receive refunds if their concerts were delayed due to COVID-19. The legislation also had a measure targeting “holdbacks,” tickets reserved for insiders like friends, VIPs, pre-sales, and credit card partners that are not available to the general public. Both of these measures no longer appear on the bill that has passed the state senate.
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Perhaps surprisingly, Ticketmaster released a statement in support of the hidden fees bill. “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,” Managing Director Marla Ostroff told Billboard. “We would like to thank Assembly member [Daniel] O’Donnell, in particular, for his work and steadfast support of the New York entertainment community.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the bill before July 1st.
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