Ticketmaster begins upfront pricing

Ticketmaster has started showing upfront pricing.

The company says that “the price you see up front is the price you pay,” with the caveat that the price is before taxes.

That means that the ticket price you see on the platform will include both the seat price and any fees, other than taxes, associated with buying a ticket to a show or event.

Ticketmaster said the event organizer is who sets the base price of a ticket before fees, using "production costs, venue size, and interest in the event" to determine how much to charge. The event organizer also determines how many tickets to sell.

The additional fees are to "help cover the behind-the-scenes costs of putting on live events and keeping the ticketing process secure and smooth," Ticketmaster said.

Some fees include money to pay a venue’s staff and manage the operations of the venue. A separate facility fee may cover the cost of hosting an event, such as staff, insurance and suppliers.

Finally, there is the Ticketmaster fee that is used to "provide the tech, customer support, and secure tools that power your ticket-buying experience.“ That includes the scanners that are used to check tickets and even credit card processing fees.

All of the fees could account for an additional 27% to 31% of a ticket’s price, the Government Accountability Office said in a 2018 report.

The change in how ticket fees are listed comes from a rule that went into effect this week, issued by the Federal Trade Commission. The rule was designed to curtail junk fees, or the additional cost added at checkout and not disclosed during the ticket selection process, Scripps News reported.

It not only applies to Ticketmaster, but also hotels, vacation rental companies and other businesses, CBS News reported.