Ticketmaster quietly raised other fees after US crackdown on hidden charges

Ticketmaster raised fees at various venues after being forced to eliminate its order processing fee due to FTC regulations banning hidden charges, according to internal documents obtained by the Guardian. The company had previously added the extra fee at checkout—money typically shared with venues—but stopped the practice to comply with new rules requiring price transparency. Rather than absorb the revenue loss, Ticketmaster increased different fees across its platform to maintain profitability, effectively circumventing the spirit of the regulatory crackdown. The move suggests the ticketing giant found a workaround to offset compliance costs, raising questions about whether hidden-fee reforms are achieving their intended goal of lowering consumer costs. The documents provide evidence that companies may be adapting pricing strategies to neutralize the impact of consumer protection rules.