Assemblyman Wants Better Truth In Advertising For Event Tickets

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A Long Island lawmaker has proposed a measure to try to minimize the frustration of buying concert tickets.

Many people have experienced the process of trying to purchase tickets online or over the telephone, only to find the show is sold out within minutes.

New York State Assemblyman Charles Lavine has introduced a new bill to make ticket buying easier.

"What the bill does is require that as soon as an event is advertised, there's got to be an honest notice as to how many tickets actually will be available for the general public," Lavine told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall. "People will end spending literally hours on the telephone or on the computer trying to arrange to get tickets under the belief that they have an equal chance with the 14,000 or 15,000 other people."

"In essence, the consumer is going to have a pretty good idea of how many tickets the consumer's going to be able to vie for or to purchase," he added.

Lavine said there is typically a very small amount of tickets available to the general public.

"It is as small as seven percent," he told Hall.

Lavine said most of the tickets go for promotions, to the artists or even to credit card companies that give them out or offer presales to their customers.

The lawmaker added that the timing of his measure is no coincidence.

"This is the time of the year when concert season begins," he told Hall.

The bill was introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday.

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