In last Friday’s (12/8) New York Times, Ben Sisario writes, “The United States Senate introduced a long-awaited bill on Friday promising consumer protections for tickets to live entertainment events, after more than a year of complaints about high fees, out-of-control prices and deceptive selling practices in the entertainment world. The bill called the Fans First Act, would require sellers to disclose the full price of a ticket, including all fees; indicate what seat or section a customer is gaining access to; and say whether a ticket is being offered by its original or ‘primary’ seller, as opposed to a reseller or broker. The bill, introduced by John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, along with four others, would also strengthen an existing law banning the use of computer bots …; require ticket sellers to offer full refunds when an event is canceled; set thousands of dollars in penalties for abuse; and require the Government Accountability Office to … make recommendations…. The new bill joins … other proposed laws in both houses of Congress, which would need to be reconciled for any to become law…. The bill has broad support throughout the music industry.”
