Minnesota’s legislature donned armor, grabbed a sword, and rode off to slay the TicketMonster that’s terrorizing Minnesota fans. Voting in favor of SF425, Minnesota House and Senate Committees said Minnesota fans shouldn’t be oppressed by TicketMaster’s electronic ticket policies.
The bill would make it “unlawful for a ticket issuer to prohibit or restrict the resale . . . of an event ticket by a lawful possessor of the ticket.”
As we discussed before, TicketMaster wants to control the transfer of sports and concert tickets. TicketMaster’s electronic tickets bind a ticket to the person who bought it and only allow transfer after paying TicketMaster yet another “convenience fee.”
Sen. Chris Gerlach, chairman of the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, said it best at yesterday’s hearing:
“I believe the owner of a ticket has a property right interest, and if they want to give or sell that ticket to somebody else, unfettered, . . . then that should be allowed and should not be aced out by restrictions.”
New York passed similar consumer protecting legislation last year. Back then, TicketMaster warned that allowing consumers to freely transfer and resell tickets would harm performers. But New York’s concerts and shows go on. Connecticut is now considering similar legislation to protect its citizens’ rights to resell tickets.
So, why does TicketMaster want to control the transfer and resale of tickets? TicketMaster claims it wants to protect consumers from high ticket prices.
But if TicketMaster really wanted to save consumers money, it could cut those outrageous “convenience fees” it charges for transferring tickets. TicketMaster doesn’t want to protect consumers. They want consumers to unnecessarily buy extra tickets and pay TicketMaster every time a ticket is gifted or resold. It’s not so much about consumer protection, but more about competition prevention!
Rather than appease TicketMaster by paying ever increasing “convenience fees,” let’s follow Minnesota’s lead and ride-off to slay this TicketMonster. You can help by joining the fight at FanFreedom.org.