People in Minnesota who buy tickets online for concerts, sporting events, and other live events will have more transparency and protection thanks to the Taylor Swift bill, which Gov. Tim Walz signed into law on Tuesday.
What is Taylor Swift bill?
The law, sparked by a legislator’s anger with not being able to purchase tickets to Swift’s 2023 show in Minneapolis, will force ticket vendors to disclose all fees upfront and restrict resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other provisions. The law will apply to tickets purchased in Minnesota or other states for Minnesota-based concerts or live events.
Walz signed House File 1989 — a reference to Swift’s birth year and an album with that title — at First Avenue, a popular concert venue in downtown Minneapolis.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we would be at a bill signing for House File 1989 at First Avenue,” Democratic Rep. Kelly Moller, chief author of the bill, said.
Moller was one of thousands of people trapped in Ticketmaster’s system after it crashed in 2022 due to high demand for Swift concert tickets and bot attack that attempted to buy tickets at inflated rates for resale. The scenario resulted in congressional hearings but no federal legislation.
Supporters of Minnesota’s new law claim it joins Maryland as one of the few states to pass protections for ticket buyers into law.
Ticketmaster did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the new Minnesota legislation. Taylor Swift’s media team did not respond either.
Jessica Roey, a spokesperson for StubHub, said in an email, “StubHub has long advocated for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket-buying process. We share the goals of HF1989 and look forward to continuing discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide more transparency, more control, and more choice for ticket buyers.”
Walz, a Democrat, said the new law is “protection so you don’t get a bad ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and resellers can’t snatch them all up before you get an opportunity.”