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Senate panel kills concert ticket bill

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Mar 23, 2013 at 7:08 am

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A Minnesota Senate committee has voted down a bill that would have forced major venues in the state to publicly reveal how many concert tickets they hold back from sale to the public.

The bill failed Friday on a 3-4 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Critics said the proposed requirement would have made harder for venues like Target Center and Xcel Energy Center to compete for major concerts.

The bill was supported by online ticket broker StubHub, which is owned by eBay. The company is battling perceptions that when popular shows sell out quickly, it's because huge blocks of tickets are snapped up for resale at higher prices.

A lobbyist for the company says it's actually because large blocks of tickets are frequently set aside for private promotions.