NYC bill eliminates last-minute entertainment, sports surcharges

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go through Rich Calder and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon

April 9, 2023 | 5:34 pm

Patrons of local entertainment and sports venues will no longer be scalped by big-ticket touts at the last minute, thanks to a city council bill set to pass this week.

The proposed local law, which has overwhelming support from the city council, would force ticketing sites such as StubHub and Ticketmaster to account for high processing and service fees before customers click to buy tickets to local venues online.

“Whether it’s a concert or a ball game, these companies need to stop exploiting fans,” he said former hardcore punk rock guitarist and Rep. Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), who sponsored the bill, told the Post.

“By requiring sellers to list the total price up front, my bill will end the era of fare-bait advertising,” Brannan said. “Don’t advertise that tickets are $20, when you’ve paid all the contingencies, they actually cost $80.

“I think you’ll see how a little bit of transparency can make things more fair for everyone,” Brannan said.

Events at places like Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium and Broadway theaters can cost as much as 30% of the ticket price, he said.

Brannan first proposed the proposal in 2018, but the committee didn’t buy into the idea at the time — though there now appears to be enough support to make it into law.

The new proposal does not limit how much extra the big-market ticketing companies can charge, but Brannan said he hopes the limit will make it more reasonable by embarrassing sellers.

The bill, which goes to a vote Tuesday, could fine conductors up to $500 for each violation.

The measure comes from the council’s Consumer and Worker Protection Committee and, if approved, would amend the city’s administrative regulations.