Economic Action Maryland Joins National Coalition to Oppose Flawed Maryland Ticket Legislation
For Immediate Release
Contact: Karl Howley
khowley@vision360partners.com
Coalition Continues to Fight for Live Events Fans in Maryland
Washington, D.C. – The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights Coalition, a group of the nation’s leading consumer advocacy groups and live event fan advocates, is proud to announce Economic Action Maryland as a member. Economic Action Maryland has championed economic rights in the Old Line State through advocacy, research, consumer education, and direct service while acting as an integral advocate in the creation of the existing consumer protections in Maryland for live events fans.
“Maryland has a wealth of concerts, sports events, and festivals for residents to enjoy. Yet, confusing ticketing prices and rules about transferring or reselling a ticket mar this experience,” said Economic Action Maryland Executive Director Marceline White. “We're happy to sign onto the Ticket buyers Bill of Rights to advocate for best practices in the marketplace.
The inclusion of Economic Action Maryland into the Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights comes at a time in Maryland when the state legislature is considering legislation that contains anticompetitive and anti-consumer provisions that would further entrench live events monopolies. SB 539 and HB 701 are aligned with special corporate interests and will have a negative impact on the options that are currently afforded to live sports and music fans in Maryland when it comes to ticket buying and selling. The coalition is opposed to SB 539 and its House companion HB 701 until it:
Equitably protects all consumers in Maryland and does not carve-out sports fans and music fans attending concerts at sports venues from the bill’s price transparency requirements intended to expose hidden fees so that all-in, up-front pricing makes it so that the first price Marylanders see advertised is the last price they see at check out prior to taxes being added.
Removes the anti-resale restrictions that will make it illegal and punishable with fines up to $1,000 or one year in jail for a fan who resells their tickets for more than they initially paid. This is important because often prices sold by Ticketmaster and venues fluctuate based on demand so fans can pay different prices for comparable tickets, and because once a consumer purchases a ticket from the venue, artist, team or ticket issuer, it should remain his or her prerogative if they elect to sell their tickets to decide what price they will accept, whether less or more than their original cost. Many season ticket holders and concertgoers, in light of rising ticket costs, sell some of their tickets at a higher price in order to recover some of their investment and to help pay for other tickets.
Meanwhile, another bill that has been introduced in the Maryland legislature, SB 1113, includes a number of the Bill of Rights pillars, including:
all-in pricing, so fans know the full price of tickets from the start of the buying process
the freedom to transfer or sell tickets
disclosures of deceptive ticket holdbacks
The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights looks forward to partnering with Economic Action Maryland to continue the fight for Maryland consumers while also continuing to work with lawmakers toward the goal of pro-consumer legislation.
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About the Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights Coalition: The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights Coalition was founded in February 2023 to serve as a framework for ticketing legislation that can improve the live events ticketing market that serves millions of fans each year. The Bill of Rights features five pillars; The Right to Transferability, The Right to Transparency, The Right to Set the Price, The Right to a Fair Marketplace and The Right to Recourse. Visit us at www.ticketbuyerbillofrights.org.
The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights is endorsed by Economic Action Maryland, National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, Sports Fans Coalition, Fan Freedom, Protect Ticket Rights, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Public Knowledge, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of California, and the Center for New Liberalism.