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US Senator Amy Klobuchar has written to Live Nation Entertainment chief executive Michael Rapino, requesting an update on the company’s price transparency efforts.
Live Nation, which owns and operates Ticketmaster, committed to all-in pricing for venues owned and operated by the company, with Klobuchar arguing in the letter that it was not upholding this commitment.
In the letter, Klobuchar said: “Millions of Americans rely on your company for the chance to see their favourite artist, band, or sports team. In return for their business and trust, your customers expect a transparent and honest ticket buying process free from hidden fees.
“Live Nation-Ticketmaster committed to ‘roll out an upfront all-in pricing experience in September showing just one clear, total price’. In your own press release, Live Nation-Ticketmaster touted that it will ‘lead the industry with new all-in pricing’. Yet, it is still too difficult for consumers to find the all-in price of a ticket before checkout.”
The letter asked Live Nation to respond with the additional steps to honour its commitment to transparent pricing, by November 15.
Klobuchar also gave her support to the Biden Administration’s work on eliminating junk fees. At a White House event in June, President Biden announced that, as part of the campaign to eliminate junk fees, Live Nation and Ticketmaster would commit to showing a clear, total price.
The letter added: “Live Nation-Ticketmaster, however, has not yet made the all-in ticket price – including fees – the default setting for its platform. For many events, including those for its own venues, it is still too difficult to see the all-in price before checkout. In most instances, consumers must find and select a filter buried within a tab that gives no indication that it contains an option to display all-in pricing.
“The existence of this filter shows that Live Nation-Ticketmaster has the technical ability to display all-in prices but chooses not to display that price to consumers as the default setting. Although Live Nation-Ticketmaster does not set all of the fees charged on its platform, you have a responsibility to be upfront with customers about the full cost of their tickets.”
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