Baltimore Council Committee Rejects Ticket Fee Cap

A bill intended to cap fees companies such as Ticketmaster can charge consumers in Baltimore was amended and stripped of its limitations.

Councilman Carl Stokes, who represents Remington and Charles Village in North Baltimore, introduced the bill, but several amendments were added and approved during its hearing before the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee.

"It’s not a bill anymore. They might as well just throw it away, because all it does is allow the exorbitant fees to go even higher now. There’s no limit to how much price gouging can take place in the city of Baltimore," Stokes said. 

The bill would have limited service fees of 15 percent of the first $50 of box office price, 10 percent of the ticket’s box office price that exceeds $150 and 5 percent of the ticket’s price more than $150, according to the legislation.

During the hearing several businesses including the Baltimore Ravens, Major League Baseball and 1st Mariner Arena testified against the bill, claiming that it would limit their revenue streams and make it harder to attract artists to perform in Baltimore.

Only one group, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, testified in favor of the bill.  

Eventually the arguments of vendors and venues won the support of the committee members who amended the bill, removing all references to capping fees ticket service providers may charge for events in the city.

Councilman Bill Henry, who voted for the amendments, said he backed changing the bill because it was becoming an attempt to "wean" venues off of Ticketmaster, which he says is not the government’s role.

"It was very clear early on that nowhere at the end of this was consumers actually paying less for tickets, because the fact of the matter is people were already paying the fees," Henry said. "They’re going to pay the fees, and the service charges and such, and these concerts are still selling out, that is the real market value of the ticket."  

The revamped bill is scheduled to appear before the whole council on July 15 for second reader.