Hidden fees will be brought to light under a new New York bill that has been sent to the governor’s desk for signing.
Sponsored by James Skoufis in the state senate, Bill S9461 will require ticket brokers (including StubHub and Live Nation’s Ticketmaster) to disclose upfront any and all hidden fees rather than burying them on the last step just before purchase. The law “requires full ticket prices to be disclosed prior to a customer purchasing such ticket” and “requires such price to remain the same during the purchase process” rather than surprising the buyer right at the end with ticketing fees that sometimes match or even exceed the face price.
The bill would also prohibit the resale of free tickets, reveal to the public the “established price” charged by the venue, bans “deliver fees” for digital tickets or tickets that the customer has to print.
The bill passed New York’s state senate on a 63-0 floor vote:
#NYSenate Bill S9461, sponsored by Senator @JamesSkoufis, passed (63-0, unofficial). Enacts into law components of legislation that relate to live event ticket sales:https://t.co/iBsLt89PQG
— New York State Senate (@NYSenate) June 2, 2022
A 2018 Government Accountability Office report alleged that 27% of ticket prices were made up of fees not included in the ticket’s face value. The bill was prompted by Senator Skoufis’ 2021 report. A few months ahead of the vote, John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight spent 19 minutes straight exposing TicketMaster’s deceptive pricing and consumer gouging practices:
The bill was delivered to New York Governor Kathy Hochul last week for her signature.
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