Right now, if you go to cbusarts.com to buy a ticket to buy a $23.81 ticket to The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio鈥檚 upcoming performance of 鈥淭he Day the Music Came Back,鈥� you鈥檒l find 鈥� eventually 鈥� that it actually costs $29.81 because of fees.
For a more expensive ticket, like a $72.14 ticket for the Short North鈥檚 鈥淟egally Blonde,鈥� the price jumps to $89.29.
Come mid-July, however, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts plans to make those higher prices the first thing patrons see.
CAPA is rolling out 鈥渁ll-in鈥� pricing that show the total, including fees, up-front.
鈥淲e just want to make sure when they're making decisions based on what they can afford, how much they value the event that they want to go to, that they've got a comprehensive look at that,鈥� said CAPA President and CEO Chad Whittington.
Whittington said the fees are not changing.
In Columbus, tickets for arts, cultural, and sporting events have a 5% tax that goes to the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
CAPA鈥檚 tickets also have a fee for upkeep of its historic theatres that ranges from about $1 to $4 depending on the venue. Whittington said that type of fee is typical for organizations with historic theatres.
And tickets bought online are subject to a 3% credit card fee.
Whittington said the change in the way prices are displayed is about transparency.
鈥淵ou know, this conversation that's been happening for a number of years now. And then we're starting to see legislation in other states. There's legislation at the national level,鈥� Whittington said. 鈥淪o, you know, we felt it was a great opportunity to get ahead of that.鈥�
In California, ticket sellers will not be allowed to advertise a price that doesn鈥檛 include fees and taxes starting on July 1. Minnesota鈥檚 governor recently signed off on a similar 鈥渏unk fee鈥� law that prevents businesses from adding service and other mandatory fees at the end of a transaction.
Last month, the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act, or TICKET Act, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with widespread bipartisan support.
CAPA expects to roll out its new ticket price model on July 17. Whittington said the summer is a good time to do it because there are fewer events happening than in the fall and winter.
The 鈥渁ll-in鈥� pricing will apply to all performances ticketed through cbusarts.com, but not to the Broadway in Columbus series, which is sold through Ticketmaster.
