Live Nation, SeatGeek commit to all-in pricing: Biden

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — A number of companies, such as Live Nation and SeatGeek, voluntarily committed to “all-in pricing” Thursday, President Joe Biden announced at a news conference, but he added there’s more work to be done to solve problems in the online ticketing industry.

“All-in” pricing is where companies fully disclose their fees upfront when customers start shopping “so you’re not surprised at the end, when you check out,” Biden explained. 

Live Nation, based in Beverly Hills, California, said it would provide customers with all-in pricing for its venues by September. Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation, will give consumers the option to view all-in pricing upfront for other venues on the platform as well.

New York-based SeatGeek said it plans to unveil features making it easier to browse for tickets with their trust cost displayed.

The Biden Administration has made moves before to spare Americans from surprise or undisclosed fees, known as “junk fees,” that get tacked onto hotel reservations or concert ticket prices and rack up the bill for consumers.

Junk fees “can add hundreds of dollars a month and make it harder for families to pay their bills,” Biden said Thursday.

Biden is calling on Congress to pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act, which cracks down on excessive online ticket fees, bans airline fees for family members to sit with young children, eliminates early termination fees for TV, phone and internet services and bans surprise or undisclosed resort fees.

Airbnb rolled out its all-in pricing tool in December after Biden first called on companies to stop hiding fees.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing a rule requiring airlines to show full plane ticket prices upfront.

Biden has said junk fees help wealthy corporations and hurt consumers.

The top U.S. consumer watchdog testified before the Senate on Tuesday and rejected the notion that banks would have to recover the money lost by getting rid of late fees by charging higher interest rates or cutting access to credit for some.

Meanwhile, there’s currently a bill in the House that would undo a mandate requiring airlines to show the total price of their flights in ads, not just the base price without taxes and fees.

At least one expert said those consumer protections were hard fought for and took years to enact.

Biden first prioritized surprise fees in his State of the Union address and has called for legislation, regulation and private sector action to end them.

The consumer advocacy push is part of the Democratic president’s pitch to voters ahead of his 2024 reelection bid that government can help improve their lives in big and small ways.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.