Soon, top ticketing site executives will be answering some tough questions in Washington DC from a congressional committee. The official name of the hearing is titled “In the Dark: Lack of Transparency in the Live Event Ticketing Industry”. Last November, The House Committee on Energy & Commerce announced a full investigation into the live event ticketing industry. What exactly is the committee looking for and concerned about? Overall, there is concern that consumers are facing “potentially unfair and deceptive practices”.
“Many of these issues relate to a lack of transparency and fairness, which places consumers at an unfair advantage when attempting to buy tickets in the current marketplace.”
We’ve all had our fair share of nightmare experiences buying tickets for events but who is holding these companies accountable? While ticketing sites claim to strive for a fair and positive experience, many of us still feel taken advantage of. Committee members reportedly sent companies a list of the factors that would be explored during the briefing. Among the most notable includes high hidden fees within ticket sales and lack of transparency within ticket availability.
For years, we’ve had no choice but to pay exorbitant tickets fees that come with purchasing a ticket online. Additionally, we’ve watched sites claim events are nearing sold out or have sold out, only to find tickets still available. Lawmakers will be demanding answers from company executives and representatives, to hopefully bring more transparency to the consumer.
In all, it’s reported that Stubhub, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Tickets.com, VividSeats, and Ticket Network are among the corporations expected to answer to the committee. Lastly, you can watch the hearing live from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s website below:
