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NYC is getting rid of surprise add-on fees in ticket prices
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 11, 2023
Modified Apr 12, 2023
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Soon, New Yorkers may not have to worry about surprise fees being added to the cost of tickets to concerts or games.
On Tuesday, local lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a veto-proof measure that forces retailers to show the price of a full ticket, with all costly fees included up front.
“The main goal, in a perfect world, is we cap the fees, but we don’t think we can legally do that,” Councilmember Justin Brannan, the bill’s main sponsor, told Gothamist ahead of the bill’s vote. “It’s not like these are government fees, these are private industry fees.”
The measure follows a string of recent legislative efforts to curb the high cost of ticket sales, following several incidents that led to nationwide outrage. The blowback after tickets to a Taylor Swift concert tour went on sale even led to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into Live Nation in January, as well as support from President Joe Biden for the passage of a federal bill eliminating “junk fees.” Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration also passed a bill that forces online retailers to show the entire cost of a ticket, and penalizes resellers for not disclosing what they originally paid.
Under the new bill, any repeat violator of the proposed measure could end up paying up to $5,000 in penalty fees. And while Brannan’s measure, which was sponsored by nearly a third of the City Council, received a 49-0 vote this time around, legislators were less enthusiastic about it years earlier. The measure did not pass when Brannan originally introduced it in 2018.
Opponents of the measure testified at a hearing in February, with representatives from the Broadway League saying the city should allow state law to “play out” before the Council takes action.
The bill is set to take effect toward the end of the year.
Additional reporting by Catalina Gonella.
The photo on this story was updated.
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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