ALBANY – As live events begin to reopen following a yearlong COVID-19 shutdown, Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall), chairman of the Investigations Committee, has released the results of his detailed look at “anti-consumer” live event ticketing practices.
Skoufis said the time is right to reform those practices.
“The live event capital of the United States, New York, is reopening, whether it is sporting events, Broadway is due to reopen soon, concerts, the live event industry is reopening. It is also timely because the state’s ticketing laws are due to expire on July 1, so the next month or so are going to determine whether we want to be fan friendly or insider friendly as the live event capital of the nation,” he said.
The senator said the report’s legislative recommendations are a “wholesale pro-consumer reboot” of live event ticketing practices.
- Mandates platforms report bot activity to the Attorney General
- Prohibits resale platforms from allowing unlicensed brokers from selling tickets on their site
- Adjusts broker licensure fees and clarifies who is required to procure a broker’s license
- Extends refund requirements to postponed events
- Requires the disclosure of a ticket’s face value upon resale
- Bans speculative ticket sales
- Mandates all-in pricing: the first price a consumer sees shall include fees
- Defines “reasonable” in the current law as it pertains to ticket fees
- Requires disclosure of how many tickets are “held back” for artist friends, family, and insiders
- Caps “holdbacks” at 10% for any given event
- Cracks down on manipulative pricing schemes such as Ticketmaster’s Platinum Seats
- Bans the resale of free tickets
- Permits all major New York sports teams to offer membership passes
- Prohibits exclusivity clauses in primary ticketing contracts
