Live Nation, AEG, StubHub, Vivid Seats, TicketNetwork, and Tickets.com have been sent letters by the Energy And Commerce Committee, formally requesting information regarding their business practices as part of a new investigation into the US live event ticketing industry.
Committee members are requesting documents and other information, as well as a briefing, from the companies.
Writing in the letters addressed to the six firms, the Congressional Committee raises “concerns” about “potentially unfair and deceptive practices occurring in the primary and secondary ticket marketplace”.
The members’ letters also “address several concerning trends” in the live event ticketing industry that are potentially harmful to ticket buyers.
Some of those trends include high and hidden fees, speculative tickets “that harm unknowing customers”, and “white label” websites that may use practices to deceive consumers.
The Committee lists a number of actions it has taken over the last few years to protect consumers in the live event ticketing marketplace including the “Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2016,” which prohibits the use of computer software to purchase tickets by circumventing security measures of ticketing websites; the Senate companion to this legislation became law in December 2016.
“The Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over consumer protection issues, is concerned about potentially unfair and deceptive practices occurring in the primary and secondary ticket marketplace, many of which have been documented in consumer complaints, press stories, and government reports.”
Energy And Commerce Committee
“The Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over consumer protection issues, is concerned about potentially unfair and deceptive practices occurring in the primary and secondary ticket marketplace, many of which have been documented in consumer complaints, press stories, and government reports,” the Committee leaders wrote.
“Nonetheless, despite ongoing bipartisan efforts by the Committee, as well as federal agency action to better understand the current ticketing marketplace, consumers still face a host of troubling practices and trends in the ticketing industry.
“Many of these issues relate to a lack of transparency and fairness, which places purchasers at an unfair advantage when attempting to buy tickets in the current marketplace.”Music Business Worldwide
