Press Release: Consumer Advocates Unite in Promoting a “Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights”

Coalition calls for U.S. Congress and States to Adopt Reforms to Improve the Market for Live Event Tickets

Washington, DC - Today, Consumer Federation of America, Fan Freedom, National Consumers League, Protect Ticket Rights, and Sports Fans Coalition released the Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights (www.ticketbuyerbillofrights.org). The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights is a set of principles the nation’s leading consumer advocacy groups and others believe should serve as a framework for ticketing legislation that can improve the live events ticketing market that serves millions of fans each year.

The Bill of Rights features four pillars:

1. The Right to Transferability, where ticketholders decide how to use, sell or give away their tickets if they wish and not the entity that previously sold the tickets;
2. The Right to Transparency, which includes all-in pricing and disclosures of relevant information for the purchasing decision; 
3. The Right to Set the Price, so that companies who originally sold the tickets cannot dictate to fans for what price they can or cannot resell their purchased tickets, and, lastly;
4. The Right to a Fair Marketplace, where fans compete with actual humans, not illegal software bots, for tickets.

Specifically, the Bill of Rights includes:

• All-in, upfront pricing - no surprise fees at checkout;
• Mandating primary ticket-selling companies to report all ticket bot activity to the appropriate authorities;
• Disclosure of how many tickets are available to the general public at the time of “on sale”;
• Clear and conspicuous disclosure when a ticket seller does not have a ticket in their possession or contractual right;
• The guarantee of unrestricted transfer of all tickets; and
• A prohibition on deceptive URLs and other fraudulent reseller practices.

“Consumers deserve better when it comes to ticket sales, and it is clear that they are eager to see some change,” said Erin Witte, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America. “The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights will level the playing field for consumers and end some of the most egregious practices that have historically plagued the ticket sales industry.”

“Sports, music, and art fans love what they love. Ticket monopolies and white-label websites try to exploit that passion to rake in even more money,” said Chris VanDeHoef, President of Fan Freedom. “Fan Freedom has long advocated for these kinds of reforms and calls on Congress to act now.”

“Fans and competition are best served when there is an open, competitive, and fair market for live event tickets,” said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at the National Consumers League. “The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights is a common-sense set of principles that policymakers should look to for solutions to fix a rigged live event industry.”

“The experience from before tickets go on sale, during the time when they can be purchased, and all the way through the day of the event is currently broken for the high demand events and this Bill of Rights can fix what’s broken,” said Gary Adler, executive director of Protect Ticket Rights, a fan-oriented advocacy initiative sponsored by the nation’s leading independent ticket resellers.

“The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights is the first of its kind legislative proposal that seeks to overhaul the way fans experience events,” said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. “America’s sports fans deserve a fair, transparent, and competitive marketplace and our Bill of Rights enshrines that for every fan in the country. I call on each state legislature and Congress to pass these vital consumer protections.”