Ticketing Reform Passes NC General Assembly
On Wednesday, June 26th, a regulatory reform bill (S607) came out of committee and passed both the NC House and Senate in two days and is now on its way to the Governor for his signature. When the bill emerged from the conference committee Wednesday, language had been added that required up front pricing on all event ticket sales for ticket issuers, exchanges, and resellers.
This law would require:
- The total price of admission to an event to be “clearly and conspicuously” displayed initially with a listing of all mandatory fees that will be included prior to the completion of the transaction.
- That the only fees that can be added “at checkout” are sales tax (or any other government tax/fee), a “reasonable fee for processing the order,” and any shipping/postage fee for delivering a non-electronic ticket.
Arts North Carolina has been discussing several ticketing reforms with key legislators that include these provisions in S607.
In addition, we have been working to curb ticket resellers’ ability to present themselves as the primary seller. Many of these resellers’ websites mimic venues and/or artists in order to charge higher prices to patrons, who are led to believe they are buying directly from the presenter. This causes considerable confusion, frustration, and consumer dissatisfaction, negatively impacting the performing arts industry.
Arts NC will continue to work for fair and equitable trade practices to empower and protect artists and audiences alike, as well as the many for-profit and nonprofit performing arts organizations across North Carolina.