Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota signed into law a bill known as the Taylor Swift bill, aimed at providing more transparency and protection for people buying tickets online for live events such as concerts or sporting events in the state. The law, named after Taylor Swift, requires ticket sellers to disclose all fees upfront and prevents resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket. This measure was prompted by frustrations felt by individuals, including legislators, when trying to purchase tickets for popular events like Swift’s 2023 concert in Minneapolis.
The bill, House File 1989, was signed at the popular concert venue, First Avenue, by Gov. Walz. It aims to address issues such as Ticketmaster’s system crash in 2022, which left thousands of people unable to purchase tickets due to high demand and attacks from bots trying to resell tickets at inflated prices. The law is seen as a step towards protecting ticket buyers from fraudulent tickets and resellers who monopolize the market. Minnesota now joins Maryland as one of the few states to pass legislation specifically designed to protect consumers buying tickets for live events.
The new law will come into effect on January 1, 2025, and will apply to tickets sold on or after that date. Provisions in the law aim to bring transparency to the ticket buying process, ensuring that customers are not misled by hidden fees or deceptive practices. Supporters of the law hope it will prevent fans from being tricked into paying exorbitant prices for tickets, which can sometimes be up to ten times the face value, due to websites and resellers engaging in unfair practices. The law bans such practices, providing customers with more control and choice when purchasing tickets for live events in Minnesota.
Governor Walz emphasized that the law is meant to protect consumers from bad tickets, fraudulent tickets, and unfair practices by resellers who snatch up tickets before regular buyers have a chance to purchase them. The legislation was supported by individuals like Mike Dean, who testified in favor of the bill after experiencing hidden fees when purchasing tickets online for his daughters to see basketball star Caitlin Clark. This law aims to prevent situations where customers have limited time to make decisions due to hidden fees or deceptive practices, allowing for a more informed ticket buying process.
Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new law, while Taylor Swift’s media team also did not respond. However, StubHub, a popular ticket resale platform, expressed support for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket buying process. They look forward to discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide transparency, control, and choice for ticket buyers. The implementation of the Taylor Swift bill in Minnesota is seen as a positive step towards providing consumers with more protection and transparency when purchasing tickets for live events.
