WASHINGTON D.C. — President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will be meeting with private sector companies, including LiveNation, to discuss hidden junk fees associated with most ticket sales.
The news comes nine months after Biden first called for action to crack down on hidden fees and provide full transparency to customers shopping for tickets to live events. Biden will be convening a meeting with representatives from Live Nation, SeatGeek, xBk, Airbnb, the Pablo Center at the Confluence, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation, a news release states.
Several of those companies have rolled out or will be rolling out new features allowing customers to see all-in prices, therefore eliminating hidden fees.
Live Nation committed Thursday to roll out an upfront all-in pricing experience in September showing just one total price for its more than 30 million customers. Airbnb introduced a similar display option back in December showing the total price, an option that more than 8 million visitors have taken advantage of since its launch.
SeatGeek announced a change as well, saying its ticketing platform will roll out new product features making it easier for people to shop on the basis of all-in price.
In addition to the companies meeting with Biden, several others have already made changes to their systems. For example, Ticketmaster will be adding a feature giving customers the option to see the upfront pricing for all tickets sold on their platform.
The president also mentioned Eau Claire's The Pablo Center which implemented its all-in pricing program for all tickets back in April. Representatives with the Pablo Center will speak on its pricing, including how it led to a 15% uptick in ticket sales.
In a news release, Biden also mentioned the efforts his administration has made to try and control hidden fees in the economy. The release says his administration has worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Communications Commission.
"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. It is also just a first step towards addressing junk fees in the economy," the news release states.
Biden is continuing to call on Congress to pass legislation that mandates up-front pricing for all ticket sellers, the White House said.
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