Ticketmaster has pledged to display all-in ticket pricing upfront as a new federal rule cracking down on hidden fees comes into effect.
The Biden administration's ban on so-called "junk fees" began Monday, targeting industries like ticketing, hospitality, and vacation rentals.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the rule in December, requiring businesses to disclose processing, cleaning, and other supplementary charges upfront.
Ticketmaster, frequently criticized for its opaque pricing practices, confirmed it would comply with the new regulation and expressed agreement with the FTC’s action.
“Ticketmaster has long advocated for all-in pricing to become the nationwide standard so fans can easily compare prices across all ticketing sites,” Ticketmaster Chief Operating Officer Michael Wichser said in a statement.
Ticketmaster said it will also tell customers where they are in line when they log in to buy tickets to an event. It will also give real-time updates to customers whose wait times exceed 30 minutes, letting them know ticket price ranges, availability and whether new event dates have been added.
Ticketmaster has been in the hot seat since 2022, when its site crashed during a presale event for Taylor Swift’s upcoming stadium tour.
The company said its site was overwhelmed by both fans and attacks from bots, which were posing as consumers in order to scoop up tickets and sell them on secondary sites.
Thousands of people lost tickets after waiting for hours in an online queue.
Artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath, Harry Styles, Sabrina Carpenter, and Oasis have also been impacted by issues with Ticketmaster.
Last year, the dynamic pricing system was criticized by Oasis fans attempting to secure tickets to their much-awaited Reunion Tour.
The system, used often in the US, works by altering the prices of tickets based on demand - much like Uber.
Fans were shocked by the fact standard tickets more than doubled from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster. It prompted the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they will look into the use of dynamic pricing.
Meanwhile, others were left angry and disappointed after being left empty-handed, having battled website issues, being mislabelled as bots and waiting in an online queue for hours to buy tickets.
In February 2025, fans were left “disappointed” after claiming they faced long queues, glitches and dynamic pricing on the Ticketmaster website for Black Sabbath tickets.
Ahead of his summer 2025 dates, Springsteen fans dubbed his Ticketmaster pre-sale a “fiasco” while also complaining about high prices.
Ticketmaster, which is owned by Beverly Hills, California-based concert promoter Live Nation, is the world’s largest ticket seller, processing 500 million tickets each year in more than 30 countries. Around 70 per cent of tickets for major concert venues in the U.S. are sold through Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster said Monday's changes would bring North America in line with the rest of the world, where full ticket prices typically are displayed as soon as customers start shopping.
SeatGeek, a platform for buying and selling original and resale tickets, said it also updated its features Monday to make “all-in pricing the default” setting.
“Fans deserve pricing that’s clear from the start,” said SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger said. "We’re proud to roll this out across our platform and encouraged to see the industry move in this direction.”
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Ticketmaster and Live Nation, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly that drives up U.S. ticket prices and asking a court to break them up. That case is ongoing.
President Donald Trump is also eyeing the industry. In March, he signed an executive order that he said would help curb ticket scalping and bring “commonsense” changes to the way live events are priced.
Under the order, the FTC must ensure “price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process” and take enforcement to prevent unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive conduct.
“Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years — no matter what your politics are — knows that it’s a conundrum,” said Kid Rock, who joined Trump in the Oval Office as Trump signed the order.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky will ‘only’ attend peace talks if Putin does
After Wisconsin, Democrats fear ‘MAGA money’ is infiltrating another upcoming race
Biden’s aides discussed wheelchair use if he was re-elected, new book claims
Trump live: President and Musk set to speak in Saudi after praising crown prince
McDonald’s plans to hire 375,000 workers revealed as massive expansion continues
Episcopal Church won’t aid white South African ‘refugees’ embraced by Trump
