DENVER — A new bill is making its way through the Colorado legislature that the sponsors say would protect consumers during event ticket sales.
Supporters say event ticket reform has been a long time coming, but Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift ordeal was the last straw.
“You know I tried to buy Taylor Swift tickets for my fiancée and it was difficult,” said Democratic State Representative William Lindstedt, one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
So did 14 million other people ahead of the pop star’s Eras tour.
“Ticket buying in this state is broken and it needs some rules and regulations to protect consumers so they can go enjoy the things they want to go see,” said Lindstedt.
“It’s about time Colorado passes a bill like this,” said Brian Hess, the executive director of the Sports Fans Coalition.
Hess testified Wednesday at the Colorado State Capitol, demanding better for sports and live music fans.
“When they log on to buy a ticket, they’re only ever going to see one number,” Hess said. “You see that ticket for 50 bucks, that ticket is going to be 50 bucks, and it’s not going to go up during the check-out process. It’s aggravating because fans can’t price shop.”
Especially here in Colorado.
“I mean we have Red Rocks, we have incredible venues and incredible teams and we are a music state, and it should be easy for consumers here to go see shows,” said Lindstedt.
“It will ensure that consumers who buy concert tickets, sports tickets, have all-in guaranteed pricing without fees, always get refunds when events are cancelled and to crack down on deceptive websites that falsely pretend to be venues or official sources to buy tickets,” said Lindstedt.
They’re hoping the bill gets to Democratic Governor Jared Polis’ desk in the next few weeks, just in time for summer concerts and sports.
“I am looking forward to, after session, going and seeing the Rockies,” said Lindstedt.
The bill will be heard on the house floor next week.
To read more about the bill, click here.
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