Biden’s “junk fee” crackdown forces transparency—finally.
The ticket-buying experience just got clearer as the Biden administration’s “junk fee” ban takes effect—with Ticketmaster leading the charge for transparent pricing.
Now, fans see the full ticket cost upfront, including all processing fees, as soon as they start shopping.
“We’ve long pushed for all-in pricing,” said Ticketmaster COO Michael Wichser, praising the FTC’s rule targeting hidden charges in live events and lodging.
Beyond fee transparency, Ticketmaster now provides real-time queue updates (including price ranges and availability for waits over 30 minutes) and battles ticket bots—blocking 53 billion attacks in 2024 alone.
Competitor SeatGeek also adopted all-in pricing, with CEO Jack Groetzinger calling it a win for fans.
The changes come amid legal turmoil: the DOJ’s ongoing monopoly lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster and Trump’s March executive order demanding price transparency.
As Kid Rock quipped, ticket buying has been a “conundrum” for decades—but today, at least, the sticker shock is upfront.
