Assembly bill takes aim at Ticketmaster, looks to instill competition in ticket market

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Proposed California legislation looks to make tickets to concerts and events cheaper by taking aim at Ticketmaster's dominance of the market.

The ticketing giant, which merged a decade ago with Live Nation, controls some 80% of tickets for concerts, sports and other events sold in the United States.

"Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation were allowed to merge in 2010, ticket prices have gone up an astronomical 140 percent," Assmeblymember Buff Wicks, D-Oakland said in a news conference Monday.

Assembly Bill 2808 by Wicks looks to ensure tickets are sold to events on a competitive basis with fair access granted to multiple ticketing agencies.

Wicks says competition would give fans better access to tickets at lower prices by loosening Ticketmaster's near "monopoly" on the market.

"Companies will have to compete for your business, which will lead to lower fees and better service," said Wicks in a press release. "Opening retail to competition will also mean more transparency, making it more difficult for fraudulent tickets to be sold."

The bill comes after several lawsuits against Ticketmaster, including one by Taylor Swift fans who alleged unfair prices for her popular Eras Tour.

"We support reforms to improve ticketing, but AB 2808 will not do that," Ticketmaster said in a statement. "It will instead undermine the efforts of artists, sports teams and primary ticketing companies to minimize ticket scalping."

Zach and Juanita Burris said dealing with Ticketmaster is so frustrating they decided to wait in line at the box office for one recent event in the Bay Area.

"It took me 20 minutes," Zach Burris said. "That was about it. It was nothing. No fees."