Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press
With the Biden administration’s ban on so-called “junk rates” coming into effect Monday, Ticketmaster said it will begin displaying all ticket prices as soon as consumers begin shopping.
Ticketmaster was the long subject of complaints about its hidden fees and was one of those targeted by the new rules announced by the Federal Trade Commission in December. The rules require ticket sellers, hotels, vacation rental platforms, etc. to disclose processing fees, cleaning fees and other fees in advance.
Ticketmaster said Monday that he praised the FTC’s actions.
“Ticketmaster has long advocated that all-in pricing will become a national standard, so fans can easily compare prices across all ticket sites,” said Michael Witcher, Chief Operating Officer of Ticketmaster, in a statement.
Ticketmaster said he would tell shoppers where they line up when they log in and buy tickets for the event. It also provides real-time updates to customers with wait times of over 30 minutes, informing them of ticket price ranges, availability and whether new event dates have been added.
Owned by concert promoter Live Nation in Beverly Hills, California, Ticketmaster is the world’s largest ticket seller, processing 500 million tickets each year in over 30 countries. Approximately 70% of tickets to major US concert venues are sold through Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster said Monday’s changes will match North America with the rest of the world.
It has been on the hot seat since 2022, when the site crashed during a pre-sale event for Taylor Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The company said the site was overwhelmed by both the fans and the attacks from bots. The bots pretended to be consumers to scooped up tickets and sell them on secondary sites. Thousands of people lost their tickets after waiting hours in the online queue.
Last year, the US Department of Justice sued Ticketmaster and Livenation, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly that pushes US ticket prices and asks courts to violate them. The case is ongoing.
President Donald Trump is also paying attention to the industry. In March, he signed an executive order, saying it would help to curb ticket sculptures and bring about a change in the “common sense” price for live events.
Under the order, the FTC must do “ensure price transparency at every stage of the ticket purchasing process” and enforcement to prevent unfairness, deception and anti-competitive conduct.
“Everyone who has bought a concert ticket in the last 10 years knows that 20 years is a challenge, perhaps whatever your politics is,” said Kid Rock, who joined Trump in an oval office when Trump signed Order.
Original issue: May 12, 2025, 2:52pm EDT
