Walz signs Taylor Swift ticket buyer protection bill

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota is in its ticket regulation era after passing a bill inspired by Taylor Swift to increase transparency in the sales process.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed into law the “Taylor Swift Bill” on Tuesday at the historic Minneapolis music venue First Avenue.

“This is about fairness,” he said at the press conference. “I’m really proud of Minnesota, once again, standing up for consumer rights.”

Here’s what you need to know.

What does the new law do?

House File 1989, cleverly named after one of Swift’s hit albums and birth year, doesn’t just protect the star’s super fans, but every live entertainment or sporting event in the state. The law enacts a number of consumer protections and transparency practices for ticket sellers, including giants like Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.

● Requires “all-in ticketing,” meaning sites need to disclose the total ticket price including fees upfront. Walz noted that ticket prices will now appear more expensive, but the total now includes all of the previously hidden fees consumers did not see until checkout.

● Bans deceptive resale sites to curb buyers from unknowingly purchasing from someone that looks like a primary seller, but isn’t.

● Bans speculative ticketing where secondary ticket sellers sell tickets they are not in possession of.

● Penalizes bot purchasing tickets.

What happened with the Eras Tour?

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Democratic State Rep. Kelly Moller was like thousands of people across the country when she wasn’t able to get tickets to the Eras Tour. Swift performed two sold-out shows in June last year at U.S. Bank Stadium to crowds of over 70,000 each night.

Some buyers experienced prices gouged up to 70 times the posted ticket value once they reached checkout or purchased from secondary sites. Others experienced hours-long wait times, like Moller, and were knocked off their spots, losing their tickets to other buyers. The legislation will work to curb these barriers for Minnesota consumers accessing live events and goes into effect Jan. 2025.