Pablo Center’s Anderson Part of White House Round-Table on ‘Junk’ Ticket Fees
Biden convenes private-sector panel to discuss disclosing true cost of tickets
When Jason Jon Anderson, executive director of Eau Claire’s Pablo Center, was asked on a conference call last week whether his venue used all-inclusive pricing when selling tickets, he didn’t realize his answer would lead to a virtual meeting with President Joe Biden.
That’s what happened on Thursday when Anderson joined representatives of several other venues and major businesses in a hybrid round-table discussion with Biden.
“It’s incredibly surreal to sit with a group of seven people with the president and actually have a conversation – in the fact that there was banter directly back and forth,” Anderson said in an interview after attending the event virtually from his Eau Claire office. “It was him specifically asking questions and responding, and I was not mentally prepared for that.”
The discussion was convened by the White House to accompany an announcement about what the administration has dubbed “junk fees” — the typically hidden fees that often surprise consumers when they purchase entertainment or sports tickets online. As part of the announcement, Live Nation and SeatGeek said Thursday that they would allow customers to more easily see the true cost of tickets they want to buy.
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It’s incredibly surreal to sit with a group of seven people with the president and actually have a conversation.
JASON JON ANDERSON
EXECUTIVE DIReCTOR, PABLO CENTER AT THE CONFLUENCE
Participants in the White House event included representatives of Live Nation and SeatGeek as well as TickPick and Airbnb. The Pablo Center — as well as the Newport Festivals Foundation and xBk, a venue in Des Moines, Iowa — were included in the round-table as representatives of entertainment venues that already provide all-in pricing to ticket buyers. In April, the Pablo Center began implementing an all-in pricing policy for tickets, Anderson said. In other words, ticketing and facility fees are listed upfront when customers shop online rather than being tacked on right before customers click “buy.” Since then, ticket sales have risen 15%, he explained.
Beginning Friday, all-in pricing will be in place for all new shows presented by the Pablo Center, Anderson said. (However, productions by UW-Eau Claire and other community groups that use the facility are not using the all-inclusive pricing method.)
In remarks to the press, Biden said he was pleased that companies such as Live Nation – which owns Ticketmaster – and Airbnb are making their pricing more transparent.
“One of the major categories of junk fees are ones that companies charge right at the end of the purchasing process, after you’ve already spent the time comparing your options,” he said. “The solution is … what is called ‘all-in pricing.’ And that’s where companies fully disclose their fees upfront when you start shopping so you’re not surprised at the end when you check out.”
Biden noted that he had singled out “junk fees” in his State of the Union Address in February, which he said includes not only surprise ticketing fees but also surcharges by airlines, banks, credit card companies, and the like. Such fees can cost families hundreds of dollars a month. Increasing transparency, he added, “leads to more competition, brings down costs for working Americans, keeps growing our economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.”
Anderson said later that the administration’s emphasis is important, but that federal legislation is necessary to make sure the playing field is equal for all ticket providers.
“All-inclusive pricing is the best starting point but we still need comprehensive reforms that will ensure buying tickets is easier and cheaper for consumers,” Anderson said.
Specifically, the National Independent Venue Association – which Anderson has been active in since its founding several years ago amid the pandemic shutdown – is part of a coalition of entertainment industry groups pushing for so-called “Fix the Tix” legislation that advocates say would protect consumers “from fake and speculative tickets, price gouging, and deceptive practices.” Anderson said he hopes the proposed bill, which has bipartisan support in Congress, can move forward in the near future.
Anderson said that while ticket fees are what keep venues like the Pablo Center operating, he understands how frustrating such charges can be, especially when they appear in a ticket-buyer’s online shopping cart at the last minute. In fact, he’s received that feedback in the past from his own parents when they purchased Pablo Center tickets. “It’s forced them to go back through the checkout process and choose different seats,” he said. The new policy should prevent such reactions, he added, because it’s more transparent.
Overall, Anderson said he was impressed by Biden’s evident passion for what American consumers are experiencing.
“It was eye-opening for me, but also intimidating,” he said. “Let’s be honest: It’s an honor, but what’s a little farm kid from Northwest Wisconsin have to say to the leader of the Free World?”
Learn more about the “Fix the Tix” coalition, which advocates for more transparency in ticket pricing, at www.nivassoc.org/fixthetix.
