Live Nation settlement will return nearly $9M to DC concertgoers

You know those “hidden fees” that you often have to pay when you purchase concert tickets? D.C.’s attorney general announced Monday that nearly $9 million of those hidden fees are about to go right back into D.C. consumers’ pockets.

It’s part of the District’s nearly-$10 million settlement with the entertainment giant Live Nation.

The key issue? Fees that meant consumers paid a lot more for tickets once they were ready to check out.

The Office of the D.C. Attorney General (OAG) told News4 that Live Nation’s subsidiary, Ticketmaster, “hid the true price of tickets, revealing the full price only on the checkout page where costly mandatory fees were disclosed for the first time” for a decade. In a statement, the OAG said Live Nation also used misleading pressure tactics like a countdown clock to pressure consumers.

D.C. and the company settled. Under that settlement, $8.9 million will soon go back to Live Nation customers, the OAG’s office said in a press release.

What can DC concertgoers expect?

Those fees might not be going away, but consumers should know about them sooner. According to the settlement, Live Nation is supposed to show the full price of tickets — including mandatory charges — up front.

As for the $8.9 million dollars that will soon be refunded to D.C. residents who used Ticketmaster? Beth Mellen, the assistant deputy attorney general in the Public Advocacy Division, said the office is still trying to figure out some details.

“It definitely will be based on what they paid in terms of fees. Whether we will be able to refund 100% of every single fee for 10 years, that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Mellen said. “Our goal is to get as much of the $8.9 million out the door to consumers in their pockets.”

Mellen said the claims process will be announced on the attorney general’s website and social media once it’s ready.

News4 reached out to Live Nation for comments on the D.C. settlement but did not hear back. The OAG’s statement said Live Nation has already started showing the full price of tickets upfront and given more information about the purpose of fees.

The settlement announced Monday is separate from a high-stakes antitrust trial in which a jury found Live Nation illegally monopolized the ticketing market.

Outside the 9:30 Club on Monday night, News4 spoke to concertgoers waiting in a long line. Many have used Ticketmaster.

“They up-charged so much and it was insane,” said one concertgoer.

“They added like 50 extra dollars to the ticket cost — it was ridiculous. We nearly didn’t go,” said another.

“I’ve been buying concert tickets from them for so long, even back from the Grateful Dead days, that, you know, every time you turn around, they’re hitting you with another fee,” another said.