A group of more than 250 prominent artists and musical groups have signed a letter urging the U.S. Senate to pass a comprehensive bill aimed at reforming ticketing practices.
The letter, organized by Fix The Tix, a coalition of more than 30 industry organizations led by the National Association of Independent Sites (NIVA), benefits from the support of Billie Eilish, Green day, Lord And siaamong others.
He’s calling on lawmakers to pass the Fans First Act, a bill introduced in the Senate last December that aims to increase protections for consumers who buy tickets while limiting “predatory practices” by ticket resellers, such as purchases massive amounts of tickets controlled by robots. then resold to the public at higher prices.
Other signatories include Cyndi Lauper, Dave Matthew, Fall out Boy, Duran Duran, Becky G, Major Lazer, MGMT, Ben bends, DiplomaTHE Leprechauns and the Indigo Girls.
“We stand together to say that the current system is broken: predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favorite artists at a discounted price. fair,” said the letter, which was addressed to the senator. Maria Canwellthe Democratic chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, as well as Sen. Ted Cruzthe committee’s ranking Republican.
“Predatory resellers have gone unregulated while siphoning money from the live entertainment ecosystem for their own benefit. They use illegal bots, speculative ticket listings and misleading advertising, which cause real harm,” the letter continues.
The bill focuses on three key areas of reform:
- Ticket price transparency, including the requirement that the final price of a ticket, including fees, be provided prior to purchase; a full breakdown of ticket costs and purchase conditions is provided; seat details are specified; and the seller identifies whether he is the original seller.
- Consumer protection, in particular by strengthening the application of previous laws against the use of robots; proof of purchase provided to ticket buyers within 24 hours; and full refunds in the event of event cancellation.
- Tools to Stop Bad Actors, including civil penalties against illegal dealers; a complaint website for ticket buyers; a ban on speculative tickets (i.e. resellers selling tickets they have not yet purchased); sanctions against deceptive websites and fraudulent sellers; mandatory reporting of violations to the Federal Trade Commission; and a mandate for the FBI to share information about traffic violations.
The Senate bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers that included Democratic senators. Amy Klobuchar, Pierre WelchAnd Ben Ray Lujanand Republican Sens. John Cornyn, Marsha BlackburnAnd Roger Wicker.
It benefits from the support of numerous industrial groups, including the Recording AcademyTHE Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), North American SongwritersTHE Alliance for Artists’ Rightsand the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
It also has the support of ticketing companies Eventbrite And Ticket Master.
“The current system is broken: predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favorite artists at a fair price. »
Letter to Senators Cantwell and Cruz, from more than 250 artists
“We support the Fans First Act and welcome legislation that brings positive reform to live event ticketing,” the Ticketmaster owner said. Living Nation said in December.
“We believe it is essential that Congress act to protect fans and artists from predatory resale practices, and we have long supported a federal mandate for all-inclusive pricing, banning speculative ticketing and deceptive websites, as well as other measures.”
Live Nation has already begun implementing some aspects of the bill, such as “all-inclusive” pricing that displays the final cost of a ticket before purchasing it.
However, the Fans First Act does not address some of the most controversial practices of major ticket sellers, such as the “dynamic pricing” model used by Ticketmaster, which adjusts ticket prices in real time based on demand . This led to the 2022 controversy over $5,000 tickets for Bruce Springsteenthe tour.
Live Nation also faced criticism in 2022 when Ticketmaster’s system crashed due to massive demand for tickets to Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour – although CEO Michael Rapino later explained that the crash was due to Ticketmaster’s efforts to prevent bots from purchasing the tickets.
“Predatory resellers are no longer regulated while siphoning money from the live entertainment ecosystem for their own benefit.”
Letter to Senators Cantwell and Cruz, from more than 250 artists
Some lawmakers have argued that Ticketmaster’s dominant position in the ticket market is the main cause of high ticket prices – something the company has vehemently denied.
The company has reportedly been the subject of an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in recent years. Recent reports in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post said the DoJ was close to filing an antitrust lawsuit against the company – although similar reports have been published in recent years, with no subsequent legal action filed.
Ticketmaster has repeatedly claimed that its ability to set prices is very limited.
“Ticket prices are determined by the artists and [sports] teams. It’s their show, they decide how much to pay to be on it,” Live Nation’s head of corporate affairs said. Dan Wall wrote earlier this year.
“NFL ticket prices on Ticketmaster were set by the local teams, concert tickets were set by the artist’s sales teams, Monster Jam tickets were set by its producer (Feld Entertainment), and so on. following.”
A bill similar to the Fans First Act was introduced in the House of Representatives last year by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. THE Pricing transparency for key event ticketing (TICKET) Act would require full disclosure of a ticket’s final price before purchase and prohibit the “speculative” sale of tickets, similar to the Fans First Act.Music Business Worldwide
