Minnesota lawmakers sign Taylor Swift bill into law

May 8, 2024 TruthUSA

Legislation known as the “Taylor Swift bill” has been approved in Minnesota to assist people in purchasing concert tickets.

The bill, officially named House File 1989 after Taylor Swift’s successful album and birth year, was signed into Minnesota law on Tuesday.

It mandates that sellers offering tickets to individuals in the state or for concerts taking place there must disclose all fees upfront and prohibit resellers from selling more than one ticket, among other provisions.

Minnesota State Representative Kelly Moller, the primary sponsor of the bill, advocated for the legislation after encountering difficulties purchasing tickets for one of Swift’s concerts in 2022.

Ms Moller shared that she was one of many individuals who encountered issues with ticket sales company Ticketmaster’s system due to overwhelming demand for Swift concert tickets and bot interference attempting to buy tickets for resale at inflated prices.

This situation led to congressional hearings but no federal legislation.

Governor Tim Walz, who signed the bill into law at First Avenue, a popular concert venue in downtown Minneapolis, said it was a “safeguard against receiving a fake ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and preventing resellers from hoarding tickets before others have a chance to purchase them”.

Two young girls – one in a shirt reading “A LOT going on at the moment” as a tribute to Swift, and another in a shirt saying “Iowa 22” in honor of basketball star Caitlin Clark – attended the bill signing with their father, Mike Dean, who testified in support of it.

Mr Dean mentioned that his daughter approached him in December expressing interest in watching Clark play. Initially, the website indicated the tickets would cost $300 in total, but they ended up amounting to over $500 due to undisclosed fees.

The online checkout timer had started, giving him only a few minutes to decide whether to purchase the tickets at the higher price or forfeit them.

Ultimately, he bought them, but he noted to the Associated Press that these practices hinder customers from making informed choices. He expressed confidence that the new law will enhance transparency in the process.

Sky News reached out to Ticketmaster for comments.

A spokesperson from prominent ticket sales platform StubHub stated: “StubHub has consistently supported legislation that safeguards fans from unfair and anti-consumer practices during the ticket purchasing process.

“We share the objectives of HF1989 and anticipate further discussions with policymakers to promote policies that offer greater transparency, control, and options for ticket buyers.”

The law will be effective from 1 January 2025 and pertains to tickets sold on or after that date.

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