Ticketmaster has finally bowed to pressure and will now show consumers the full price of tickets upfront, including those notorious hidden fees that have angered concertgoers for decades.
Quick Takes
- Ticketmaster’s new “All In Prices” initiative shows the full ticket cost including fees before checkout, a major shift from their previous practice.
- The change follows a Federal Trade Commission ban on “junk fees” that took effect, forcing transparency across the ticket industry.
- While service fees are now displayed upfront, local taxes and delivery fees will still only appear at checkout.
- The policy change comes after years of controversy, including the 2022 Taylor Swift ticketing debacle and a Department of Justice lawsuit against Ticketmaster.
- SeatGeek and other competitors have also implemented similar all-in pricing standards to comply with federal regulations.
Ticketmaster Implements Transparent Pricing System
Ticketmaster, the dominant force in event ticketing, has implemented a significant change to its pricing display. The company now shows the full price of tickets, including service fees, at the beginning of the purchase process through its “All In Prices” initiative. This change affects the 500 million tickets Ticketmaster processes annually across its platform, which controls ticketing for most major concert venues in the United States. While the total price now includes the ticket’s face value and service fees, consumers should note that local taxes and delivery fees will still appear separately at checkout.
The timing of this shift coincides with the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on junk fees, which takes effect this week. The rule, announced in December, targets hidden fees across various industries but has particularly significant implications for the ticket-selling market. Ticketmaster’s decision brings North American practices in line with global standards for ticket pricing transparency, giving consumers a clearer picture of what they’ll actually pay before reaching checkout.
The junk fees rule we finalized @FTC last year goes into effect today.
That means businesses selling live-event tickets or short-term lodging can no longer surprise you with mystery charges that inflate your bill when you check out. https://t.co/8XV0kJbGZt
— Lina Khan (@linamkhan) May 12, 2025
Government Pressure Drives Industry-Wide Changes
The move toward transparent pricing didn’t happen voluntarily. Ticketmaster has faced mounting pressure from all branches of government. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, alleging they have monopolized the ticketing industry and artificially inflated ticket prices. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act in 2024, which would require all ticket sellers to show the full price upfront. That legislation is currently pending in the Senate.
The current FTC regulation builds on these earlier efforts by establishing concrete requirements for the industry, tasking the commission with ensuring transparency and preventing unfair practices in ticket sales nationwide.
Ticket Industry Responds to Public Outcry
The ticket industry’s reputation took a severe hit following the 2022 Taylor Swift tour presale meltdown, when Ticketmaster’s system crashed under overwhelming demand. This high-profile failure brought renewed attention to long-standing consumer complaints about the ticket-buying experience. In response, Ticketmaster has made additional improvements beyond price transparency, including upgrades to its queue system that provide real-time updates on ticket availability and more accurate wait time estimates.
SeatGeek and other competitors have followed Ticketmaster’s lead by updating their platforms to default to all-in pricing. This industry-wide shift suggests that transparent pricing may become the new standard, regardless of which company fans choose to purchase from. The sentiment was perhaps best summarized by musician Kid Rock, who observed, “Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years – no matter what your politics are – knows that it’s a conundrum.” With these changes, the ticket-buying experience should become less of a financial guessing game for American consumers.
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Ticketmaster will finally show the full price of your ticket up front
As Biden-era ‘junk fee’ rule takes effect, Ticketmaster says it will display fees more clearly
