As Biden-era 'junk fee' rule takes effect, Ticketmaster says it will
display fees more clearly
[May 13, 2025]
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
As a Biden administration ban on so-called “junk fees” took effect
Monday, Ticketmaster said it would start displaying the full price of a
ticket as soon as consumers begin shopping.
Ticketmaster, long a subject of complaints about hidden fees and other
issues, was among those targeted by the new rule, which was announced in
December by the Federal Trade Commission. The rule requires ticket
sellers, hotels, vacation rental platforms and others to disclose
processing fees, cleaning fees and other charges up front.
Ticketmaster said it agreed 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, 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% 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.”
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An advertisement for Ticketmaster is viewed along an area reserved
for special guests on the sideline of the field before an NFL
football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP
Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, file)
 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.
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.
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