Lead Assembly Sponsor of Ticket Transparency Bill Says Thousands May Be Left Out in Cold Due to Outrageous Holdbacks
Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, the lead sponsor of legislation (A-2258) that would bring transparency to ticket sales, wants to warn fans to expect a fast sellout for the April 28th Rihanna concert at the Prudential Center in Newark because only a fraction of the stadium’s nearly 19,000 seats will likely be made available to the public.
Because of the significant number of tickets set aside for fan club and premium credit card pre-sales and VIPs, tickets to Rihanna’s concerts have been known to sell out in as little as 10 minutes, leaving thousands of fans disappointed.
“Rihanna fans in New Jersey should be prepared for a fast sellout when tickets go on sale to the public this Friday,” said Prieto (D-Hudson). “Fans often feel like the odds are stacked against them when they go to purchase tickets to their favorite show. New Jersey’s concertgoers deserve more upfront information when it comes to ticket presales and other holdbacks that make it difficult to obtain live event tickets.”
Prieto noted that ticket holdbacks occur when event producers, concert promoters, and artists pre-sell or reserve tickets for companies, record labels, VIPs, fan clubs, credit card holders, and personal friends. The numbers can be staggering. For example, only 1,001 of 14,000 tickets were available to the public for a recent Justin Bieber concert in Tennessee.
Prieto’s bill, currently making its way through the Assembly, would require advanced public notice of when tickets will go on sale and disclosure by ticket issuers of, among other items, the number of tickets that will be made available and the outlets through which they will be sold. Further, it prohibits the use of software or technology that enables the purchase of tickets in excess of limits set by an issuer – a technique often used by scalpers.
The bill also prohibits the resale of tickets not in a reseller’s possession or control unless that policy is disclosed in advance, and a full refund is made within ten days if the reseller is unsuccessful in securing tickets. Finally, the bill prohibits any restrictions on a ticket’s transfer that would prevent a ticketholder from giving away, donating or reselling his/her ticket.
Tickets for the April 28th Rihanna concert at the Prudential Center go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, January 25. Individuals who hold a CitiCard credit card have the ability to purchase tickets before hand.