A congressional committee announced it will investigate the live ticketing industry for “potentially unfair and deceptive practices.” In letters to AEG, StubHub, Ticketmaster parent Live Nation, Vivid Seats, TicketNetwork and Tickets.com, members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittees asked executives from the companies to brief them on industry practices. Members also requested documents and information detailing how the companies distribute tickets to events, calculate and disclose additional fees to consumers, place some tickets exclusively on secondary markets, company policies on ticket transferability and how fans can purchase tickets at fair market value.
StubHub Dir of Government Relations Laura Dooley in a statement said, “StubHub applauds the Committee’s investigation into the live event ticketing industry. We share the Committee’s interest in addressing anti-competitive practices. We believe that a fair and competitive ticketing industry unequivocally supports the interests of fans.” Ticketmaster added, "Ticketmaster looks forward to participating in this examination of the ticketing marketplace to identify opportunities to protect consumers and content creators alike.” AEG declined comment.
