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Consumers can expect to see the full price of their tickets up front when they purchase from Live Nation or SeatGeek, the events ticketing giants said Thursday.
Both Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, and SeatGeek have come under fire from U.S. President Joe Biden for utilizing “junk fees,” hidden costs on tickets which aren’t revealed to the buyer until they’re finalizing their transaction.
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Biden is hosting the companies, as well as Airbnb, for a meeting at the White House on Thursday. The meeting follows the brands’ promise to show customers all-in pricing on their purchases.
Junk fees have been a policy project for Biden, who in February called on Congress to pass legislation ending junk fees. Aside from entertainment companies, Biden is also calling for an end to the practice from airlines and resorts.
The View From The Venues
In recent months, coalitions of music venues have been pushing for ticketing reform to dilute the power of ticketing and resale platforms.
The head of the National Independent Venue Association, which was formed during the pandemic to help keep theaters and concert venues afloat, said in a statement that mandatory up-front pricing “should be the start of comprehensive ticketing reform that protects consumers from price gouging and deceptive practices by predatory resellers.”
“Other needed reforms such as banning speculative tickets and deceptive websites would further protect consumers in the ticketing marketplace,” Executive Director Stephen Parker said, applauding Biden for his administration’s efforts.
