Maryland can be national leader in ticket reform

Legislators in Annapolis are considering ticketing reform bills this session. They should reject proposals to protect monopolies and giant corporations in favor of pro-fan, pro-consumer bills. Specifically, lawmakers should pass Senate Bill 1113, introduced by Sens. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. and Katherine Klausmeier.

If you ever have tried to buy tickets online to a popular sports or entertainment event, you know that the whole process can be opaque, frustrating, riddled with hidden fees and deceptive. That is because dominant companies with a profit-driven stake in selling tickets don’t want competition and would rather abuse their customers than compete to earn your business.

Legislators must strike a careful balance. On the one hand, consumers need more protection, but on the other, market competition shouldn’t be sacrificed in the process. SB 1113 strikes such a balance. When combined with current Maryland law, the bill equitably regulates both the primary and secondary markets while providing consumers nearly every right enshrined in the pro-fan Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights, a set of principles that the nation’s leading consumer protection and event fan advocates support.

SB 1113 would create true all-in pricing, end deceptive holdbacks, ban restricting transferability of tickets and provide refunds for fans. It is a fan-focused set of principles and doesn’t spare any for-profit, corporate interest in the live events system from having to compete on a more level playing field.

Maryland legislators should reject other legislative proposals that disproportionately impact ticket resellers and people who already hold tickets to an event. These bills do not address the elephant in the room, Ticketmaster, and problems that stem from the initial ticket sales. They also fail to protect consumer privacy.

SB 1113, by contrast, protects fans’ right to transfer their tickets however and wherever they want without creating even more ways for Ticketmaster to harvest our purchasing data.

— David Goodfriend, Bethesda

The writer is founder and chairman of the Sports Fans Coalition.