In February, President Joe Biden proposed the Junk Fee Prevention Act, to eliminate the “junk fees” that make concerts (as well as flights) so expensive. “For example, we’re making airlines show you the full ticket price upfront and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed,” he said at the State Of The Union. “Baggage fees are bad enough — they can’t just treat your child like a piece of luggage. Americans are tired of being played for suckers.”
According to NPR, Live Nation and Ticketmaster will pledge to get rid of junk fees, which will be starting in September. Instead, the full prices will be shown upfront. “Today’s voluntary actions demonstrate that companies both big and small recognize the importance of providing consumers with honest, up-front all-in pricing, rather than tricking them with surprise fees at the end of checkout,” the White House said. “It is also just a first step towards addressing junk fees in the economy.”
This is a big feat for Taylor Swift fans, who sued Ticketmaster following the Eras Tour fiasco.
In March, Live Nation’s President and CEO, Michael Rapino, responded to Biden’s proposal by sharing that the company was aiming to “relieve a lot of the stress [and] the consumer’s perception that there’s this magical extra fee added on.”