Legislation would require sellers to disclose "true cost" of ticket purchase, including taxes and fees
A pair of Tennessee legislators representing Nashville are taking on the live event ticket industry and calling for transparency in pricing.
Sen. Heidi Campbell and Rep. Caleb Hemmer have introduced legislation that would require ticket sellers to post the true cost of tickets when reselling them. This cost would include the original ticket price, any applicable taxes, and all fees charged by the seller. Customers would see both the itemized list of fees and the total cost before making a purchase.
“I learned about the bad blood between Tennesseans and third-party ticket vendors from my legislative assistant who was unable to purchase tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert at Nissan Stadium,” said Rep. Hemmer. “She was battling it out with other fans in an unfunctional ticket queue. Her not-so-love story with the ticket industry led me to start looking for answers.”
Campbell and Hemmer said the industry is currently set up to serve corporations and maximize profit at the expense of the customer experience.
“Live music is vital to the culture of Nashville and Tennessee. It doesn’t take a mastermind to see that unfair practices in the ticket industry are stifling our local music institutions,” said Sen. Campbell, a musician and the former lead singer of a band. “While states like New York have passed similar legislation and lawmakers in DC look into the harmful effects of anticompetitive mergers, we know all too well that Tennessee has a responsibility to be a pioneer in making the ticket-buying process more accessible and transparent for consumers."
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