Minnesota lawmakers have passed the “Taylor Swift Bill,” officially known as House File 1989, which requires Ticketmaster and other live event promoters to disclose additional fees and prevent resellers from counterfeiting tickets. The legislation was proposed by Congresswoman Kelly Moller in response to the chaos surrounding ticket sales for Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023. Swift had implemented a Verified Fan presale to combat bots from buying up tickets and reselling them at inflated prices, but fans still faced difficulties securing tickets due to system crashes and ineffective bot blocking measures.
Swift herself expressed frustration with the situation, emphasizing her commitment to her fans’ experience and her reluctance to entrust such a crucial aspect of her career to external entities. Despite the challenges faced by fans in obtaining tickets, Swift acknowledged that over 2.4 million tickets were successfully sold for her Eras Tour, which began in March 2023 in Arizona and continued through various U.S. cities, including Minneapolis and Kansas City. The international leg of the tour is set to run through 2024.
Swift revealed that she had repeatedly asked Ticketmaster if they were capable of handling the high demand for tickets at her NFL stadium shows, but despite assurances from the ticketing platform, fans faced numerous obstacles in securing seats. The singer expressed outrage over the difficulties fans experienced in obtaining tickets, stating that while she was not going to make excuses, the situation needed to be improved moving forward to prevent similar issues from arising. Swift’s commitment to her fans’ experience and her desire to address the problems faced during ticket sales were evident in her Instagram statement.
Overall, the passing of the “Taylor Swift Bill” in Minnesota represents a significant victory for both artists and fans in ensuring fair ticketing practices and transparency in the live event industry. The legislation aims to protect fans from counterfeit tickets and exorbitant resellers while holding ticketing platforms accountable for their handling of ticket sales. Swift’s own experiences with ticket sales for her Eras Tour shed light on the challenges faced by both artists and fans in navigating the complexities of ticketing systems. Through advocacy and legislative efforts like the “Taylor Swift Bill,” progress can be made towards creating a more equitable and user-friendly ticketing landscape in the music industry.