‘Taylor Swift Bill,’ ticket-buyer protections receive support at hearing

Spurred by the Taylor Swift-Ticketmaster fiasco ahead of the singer’s Eras tour in 2022, a wave of Massachusetts bills protecting ticket-buyers drew support at a committee hearing Monday afternoon.

“No matter the event, consumers are tired of the lack of transparency from ticket sellers,” Rep. Daniel Carey, sponsor of the so-called “Taylor Swift Bill” said. “Watching ticket prices increase as you navigate through the purchasing process is devastating.  Sellers should not be able to hide behind websites while consumers are left out in the cold.”

The “Taylor Swift Bill,” or House Bill 259, was one of several bills proposed this year to protect fans in the midst of growing outcry over astronomical pricing and slippery supply during big-name artists’ ticket sales.

Supporter of the proposals noted the importance of the steps “protect and empower consumers” and eliminate rampant “anti-competitive practices” to create a more open market.

Carey’s bill would eliminate two major sources of fans’ ire: “junk fees,” hidden or unexpected fees added after the buyer selects the ticker, and “dynamic pricing,” the practice of upping the price during the purchase process based on demand.

Under the proposal, all sellers and resellers would be required to clearly display the whole cost of the ticket and any fees prior to the consumer selecting it and would be prohibited from changing the price during the purchase process.

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour sale drew a mass of attention to the sales issues in fall of 2022, as millions flocking to buy the presale ticket on the site Ticketmaster faced unprecedented hurdles. Swift later pushed back on the ticket seller, calling the mistakes “excruciating.”

Carey said he’s heard from many Swift fans in support of the bill.

Other bills on event sales protections heard Monday also look to limit and regulate the ticket resale market, taking aim at suspect resellers quickly amassing tickets often through bots during initial sales and price gauging.

Proposed provisions also ensure tickets bought by consumers are transferrable, consumers are able to be refunded in situations like show cancellations and seller errors and add protections against counterfeit ticket sellers.