Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers introduced legislation Oct. 2 aiming to limit treacherous ticketing practices.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, introduced the Stop Wildly Inflated Fees and Ticketing Industry Exploitation (SWIFTIE) Act to protect fans from skyrocketing ticket prices.
The legislation would ban ticket bots, force sellers to disclose all fees and taxes upfront and punish deceptive resellers with fines starting at $15,000 per day, according to Roys. The bill is about ensuring fans don’t see red every time they click “buy”.
Ticketmaster’s controversy originated in 2022 during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour presale, where the site crashed under extreme demand and many fans were unable to purchase tickets, leading to widespread criticism and political scrutiny.
“These big corporate interlopers use bots and deceptive websites to way overcharge people,” Roys told The Daily Cardinal. “They buy all the tickets in bulk before fans actually have a chance to purchase them, and then they resell them at huge markups. It’s really a consumer protection issue.”
Roys, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, said the bill’s name isn’t just for show. She and her daughters tried — and failed — to get tickets to Swift’s Eras Tour.
“These shows aren’t for the fans anymore,” Roys said. “It’s yet another way that the richest people in the world are making life harder for everybody else just to line their own pockets. The artists deserve to set the price, and the fans deserve a fair shot.”
The bill is meant to restore style and transparency to an industry Roys says has treated fans like they’re never, ever getting back together with affordable live music.
The SWIFTIE Act would require full disclosure of all fees and taxes so buyers know total ticket cost upfront.
“You can't make people go through the whole process of picking out tickets and selecting show dates and tell them one price, and then when they actually are about to click ‘buy’ all of a sudden the price doubles,” Roys said.
Co-author Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse, said the need for reform is clear when concerts are supposed to be enchanted experiences but instead leave families paying prices that feel straight out of their wildest dreams.
“Honestly, I think I paid $15 for my first concert ticket,” Billings told The Daily Cardinal. “Now, the average cost for a Taylor Swift ticket was $1,088. That’s just incredible when you think about it.”
The SWIFTIE Act doesn’t yet have Republican co-sponsors, but Roys hopes the bill will see bipartisan sparks fly. Democrats will need Republican votes to pass the bill, as Republicans control the Assembly and Senate.
Alaina Walsh is the associate news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered breaking news on city crimes and a variety of state and campus stories, including the 2024 presidential election and the UW-Madison budget.
