Maryland Passes SB 539 to Enhance Transparency in Live Event Ticketing
For Immediate Release
April 4, 2024
Contact: Karl Howley khowley@vision360partners.com
The Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights coalition released the following statement today following this week’s passage of an amended SB 539, legislation that regulates the sale of live event tickets:
“Transparency is lacking in ticketing and this new law will improve the otherwise murky market within which Marylanders purchase tickets to their favorite games and concerts. There is a lot of reform needed to comprehensively fix ticketing, and this new law will take some important steps forward to enhance transparency, ensuring consumers know the true price of their tickets early in the process inclusive of all fees, and what the refund policies are if the event is postponed or cancelled. Further, this law will also ban deceptive speculative ticket sales where the seller doesn’t yet possess the tickets for sale and fails to make this arrangement clear before the customer pays. We believe consumers should be better informed at every step in the process and this law will make important strides toward achieving this goal.
“We want to thank lawmakers for their hard work, ensuring an equitable law was passed, and not falling prey to the attempts by a few corporate players in the system to criminalize ticket resale in order for them to gain more power, market share, and profits at the expense of a consumer’s right to freely comparison shop for tickets in a vibrant and competitive market and not just the venue box office and its sole ticketing partner. If a Marylander wants to sell his or her tickets that they already paid for, that is and fortunately will remain the prerogative of that fan. Fans shouldn’t be held criminally liable for engaging in their fandom. We were pleased to engage in the legislative process, to call for changes and balance where industry players sought favor, and to support the bill that ultimately passed and is being sent to the Governor.”
###
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. 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. Visit us at www.ticketbuyerbillofrights.org.