Ticket costs climb as Cleveland's event scene grows

• That includes $6.8 billion in excess online-platform fees and $4.5 billion in inflated scalper prices.

Zoom in: Cleveland plans to welcome two major concert venues — a 6,200-seat Gateway District amphitheater in 2028 and a 10,000-seat North Coast Harbor venue as early as 2029.

• Northeast Ohio is also getting a new Browns stadium in 2029, plus WNBA and professional soccer teams.

How it works: Online ticket platforms charge fees for facilitating sales for events at those venues.

• A roughly $250 ticket to an upcoming Rush concert at Rocket Arena, for example, includes about $50 in SeatGeek fees.

Yes, but: That's at face value. Resale tickets for a concert like Rush are typically listed on secondary sites for hundreds of dollars.

• So are premium seats to marquee Cavs games, including LeBron James' return with the 76ers and matchups with the Knicks or San Antonio Spurs.

The intrigue: The Vanderbilt study proposes banning markups above face value and capping service fees at 10%. Ohio lawmakers are considering their own measures.

• A bill passed by the House in June would require upfront price and fee disclosures and target deceptive resale practices.
• A separate Senate bill introduced last year would cap ticket fees at $5.

The other side: Resale-market supporters say secondary marketplaces help prevent counterfeits and let supply and demand set prices.

The bottom line: Cleveland is about to have more ways than ever to catch a game or show.

• The question is how much fans will pay for the privilege.