The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has begun an investigation into the live event ticketing industry. The committee is looking into business practices that could be unfair and deceptive.
The Committee has sent letters to six different companies so far, including Live Nation, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), StubHub, Vivid Seats, TicketNetwork and Tickets.com. The companies have been asked to share documents pertaining to ticketing policies and practices.
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Concerns mentioned in a press release from the Committee include hidden fees, a lack of transparency, the use of speculative tickets that might not be owned by a reseller at the time of sale, and white-label websites that can deceive customers into thinking they’re buying tickets from an official venue website.
“Many of these issues relate to a lack of transparency and fairness, which places purchasers at an unfair advantage when attempting to buy tickets in the current marketplace,” the committee’s leaders wrote in their statement.
Music concerts and sports events dominate transactions on secondary ticket exchanges. StubHub has official partnerships with leagues such as MLB and the NFL, as well as select college and pro teams, while Vivid Seats has partnered with the Los Angeles Clippers and ESPN.
