Ticketmaster, SeatGeek Commit to All-In Pricing After “Junk Fees” Criticism

Live Nation and its ticket selling arm Ticketmaster made commitments Thursday to show customers the full price of tickets, including fees, up front. 

This announcement came as President Biden invited private sector companies to the White House Thursday, following his calls for federal agencies, Congress and private companies to cut down on junk fees. SeatGeek, which serves the primary and secondary ticketing market, another meeting attendee, also promised to roll-out features this summer that make it easier for customers to see the full price. 

Live Nation committed to showing the all-in pricing for ticket buyers who attend shows at the more than 200 Live Nation venues at festivals. The company also said it would give customers the option to receive all-in upfront pricing for other tickets sold on Ticketmaster. 

“Live Nation is proud to provide fans with a better ticketing buying experience. We have thousands of crew working behind the scenes every day to help artists share their music live with fans, and we’ll continue advocating for innovations and reforms that protect that amazing connection,” said Tom See, president of Live Nation Venues.

This follows several months of scrutiny by fans and lawmakers on Live Nation and Ticketmaster following issues with the sale of Taylor Swift tickets in November. U.S. Senators took aim at the company during a hearing in January, discussing issues such as the technical errors that impacted the Swift sale and competition or what some saw as the lack there of in the ticketing industry.

At the hearing, Live Nation President Joe Berchtold called for more action on ticketing, including the need for all-in pricing. Earlier this year, Live Nation and Ticketmaster joined an industry coalition, FAIR Ticketing Reforms, which calls for federal all-in pricing legislation, as well as letting artists determine resale rules, making the selling of speculative tickets illegal and enforcing the 2016 BOTS Act. 

In addition to representatives from Live Nation and SeatGeek, the list of attendees at the White House Thursday was expected to include xBk, Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation, all of whom currently use all-in pricing. 

President Biden proposed legislation earlier this year that would cut down on junk fees on tickets at concerts, sporting events, airline fees (for families sitting together on flights), surprise resort fees and more. The President continues to call on Congress to pass this legislation, according to the White House.