Press Release: Floridians Support Proposed Live Events Ticketing Law

Poll: Floridians Support Proposed Live Events Ticketing Law; Legislation Similar to Six Other States, Protects Ability to Transfer Tickets

 

More than 8 in 10 Florida Residents Support Passage of Law

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protect Ticket Rights today released a survey of 500 Floridians that shows overwhelming support for legislation introduced recently in the State Legislature that protects consumers’ ability to freely transfer tickets they purchase to live events. With the strong return of live events, in 2021 and 2022, this new survey – like others commissioned in the last year by Protect Ticket Rights – underscores a post-pandemic dynamic among fans where they want to maintain the flexibility and choice to use, give away, or resell their purchased tickets however they wish and without restrictions or obstacles put in place by venues, box offices, or ticketing companies that sell tickets for event organizers. In addition to supporting the basic right to transfer a ticket, more than eight in ten Floridians surveyed said they support a new law that protects this right, like Senate Bill 1316 and House Bill 969. Protect Ticket Rights also applauds State Senator Ed Hooper and Florida House Member Rep. Randy Fine for introducing the bill.

 

“When Floridians buy tickets to see their favorite team or artist perform, they want the freedom and choice to do what they want with their purchased tickets. They do not think it is fair for a seller to lock their tickets into a proprietary system or app, and they overwhelmingly support a new law that protects their rights,” said Gary Adler, Executive Director and Counsel of the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), which supports the Protect Ticket Rights initiative.

 

The survey included a representative sample of 500 respondents ages 18+ in the state of Florida conducted by Google Surveys January 30-February 17, 2022. A fact sheet with additional information is available here. The poll results include:

 

• Nearly 9 in 10 oppose transferability restrictions, saying they paid for their tickets and should have the freedom and choice to do what they want with them
• 84% say it is unfair to lock digital tickets into a single company's proprietary system or app (where ticketholders cannot easily transfer their tickets, to give them away or resell them however they wish)
• 84% believe that their entry should not be denied by cancelling or invalidating their tickets simple on the basis that they were purchased from an online ticket marketplace versus the box office or contracted ticketing company for the event organizer
• 82% support a new law that guarantees their rights to give away or resell their tickets however they wish (as proposed by Senate Bill 1316 and House Bill 969)

Senate Bill 1316 would require consumers be offered “transferable tickets” to purchase. It also prohibits original ticket sellers from taking certain actions against a person who purchases or resells a ticket. Annual and multiday passes and tickets would be exempt from the transferability requirement. In recent years, large, powerful companies in the industry have repeatedly attempted to prevent fans from using legitimate tickets bought on a secondary market, like Vivid Seats, StubHub, or Seat Geek, from entering the events they paid to attend. Other in-demand products, like new video gaming consoles, for example, can be bought and resold without interference from the retailer or game system designer. Tickets to live events should be no different.

 

Other states, including New York, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, and Utah have implemented pro-transferability laws to protect consumers – and host some of the most popular markets for concerts in America. Opponents of transferability protections often claim that such laws will lead to organizers avoiding the state. Data shows this assertion is false. According to Pollstar’s 2022 Concert Market Ratings, three of the top ten concert markets – New York City, Chicago, and Denver, remain vibrant markets for concerts while also protecting consumer rights.

 

Frustration experienced by fans today are driven by a variety of issues, which are outlined on the Protect Ticket Rights website at www.protectticketrights.com/the-issues. These include restrictions on ticket transferability, denying entry at venues for genuine tickets purchased from online marketplaces, the cancellation of season tickets for fans who resell some of their tickets to recover some of their costs, and locking tickets within a single company’s platform or app.

 

 

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About Protect Ticket Rights

Protect Ticket Rights is an initiative of the NATB formed to advocate for an open and competitive market free of unfair restrictions, to call for transparency throughout the ticketing ecosystem, and to help guide fans through issues they encounter. Learn more at www.ProtectTicketRights.org.