(Daily Hampshire Gazette- Emilee Klein) On Nov. 15, 2022, thousands of Taylor Swift fans glued one eye to the clock and the other eye to their computer screen, counting the seconds until their one-in-a-lifetime chance to see the artist’s cumulative career on stage in the United State’s leg of the Eras Tour.
Instead, fans were met with frustration, shock and confusion. For those lucky enough to make it to the purchase screen prior to scalper bots and Ticketmaster’s website crash, they were greeted with a much higher price for their tickets than previously advertised. Fans frantically bought the tickets out of fear of losing their place in line, taking a hit to their wallet.
The tour would go on to be the highest-grossing tour in history, and Ticketmaster’s breakdown fueled political backlash toward the monoliths of ticket sales, specifically companies who use hidden fees and dynamic pricing to drive up the cost of tickets during high demand. Dynamic pricing is a revenue management strategy that allows companies to adjust prices for products or services based on market conditions.
As a result, state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, and state Rep. Dan Carey, D-Easthampton, proposed “An Act Ensuring Transparent Ticket Pricing” — dubbed The Taylor Swift Bill — in their respective branches to require ticket sale companies to display the full price of any live entertainment ticket prior to checkout. On July 11, the state Senate passed the initiative within a larger economic development bill, mandating ticket prices include fees, interests, charges and other components of the total ticket price.
“From sports fans to fans of live entertainment, I have heard universally that folks are beyond frustrated when it comes to purchasing tickets because of these hidden fees tacked on at the last second,” Velis said in a statement. “Too often, fans are left heartbroken when they turn back to select more moderately priced tickets only to find the event has become sold out.”
According to the language in the bill, the full price of any ticket for a sports event or live entertainment must be displayed around the initial listed price, before a customer submits personal information, such as billing addresses or payment methods, and before the ticket is selected for purchase. Any fees required by local, state or federal law, and related to shipping charges and taxes do not need to be included in the total price.
Both representatives brought the bill to the Legislature ahead of the 14-time Grammy award-winning artist’s concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on May 20, 2023.
“It is my sincere hope that this important consumer protection will be included in the final conference report to add Massachusetts to a growing number of states that require ticket companies to be more transparent in their sale of tickets,” Velis added.
With both economic development bills in the House and Senate approved, the legislation now moves to the conference committee to discuss the final version of the bill. Once the committee agrees, both chambers will vote on legislation again before it’s sent to the governor for consideration.