House Members Introduce ‘BOSS & Swift Act’
• Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) today introduced their updated BOSS and SWIFT Act legislation to provide needed transparency and regulation to the badly corrupted live events ticket marketplace. The legislation is named in honor of New Jersey hero Bruce Springsteen and fans of Taylor Swift, who were blocked when trying to buy concert tickets during the recent ticketing fiasco. The revised plan specifically addresses issues including hidden fees, on-sale transparency, buyer protections, speculative tickets, and deceptive white label websites. In a triumph of timing, the legislation was introduced the day before Taylor played three sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
“For too long, millions of American fans have been unable to get a fair shake for their tickets and cry out for relief,” said Congressman Pascrell. “The recent experience of Taylor Swift fans being locked out of her tour is not new and Swifties are just the latest victims of Ticketmaster’s policies and a broken market. For decades, the ticket market has been the Wild West: mammoth, opaque, speculative, and brutally unfair. A fan shouldn’t have to sell a kidney or mortgage a house to see their favorite performer or team. At long last, it is time to create rules for fair ticketing in this country and my legislation will do exactly that for all the fans.”
Congressman Pallone noted, “Consumers deserve to enjoy their favorite artists and live entertainment without breaking the bank. It’s past time to update the ticket marketplace to ensure it’s fair, transparent, and working for ticket buyers — not Ticketmaster or resellers. That’s why I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor of Rep. Pascrell’s BOSS and SWIFT Act, which will help protect consumers when they buy tickets from ticket sellers and resellers.”
“The time is long overdue to bring transparency, fairness and competition back to the live event ticketing marketplace,” said Erin Witte, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America. “The BOSS and SWIFT Act will level the playing field for consumers and ensure that they can enjoy these events without being deceived and overcharged in the purchase process.” The full text of the bill is posted here for your reading enjoyment.
