Billie Eilish, Green Day and more back Fans First Act
Billie Eilish, Green Day and Lorde are among 250+ artists to back a bill that aims to reform the live event ticketing system in the US.
The Fans First Act, introduced by senators in December, is designed to help increase transparency in ticket sales, protect customers “from fake or dramatically overpriced tickets,” and hold “bad actors who engage in illegal ticket sale practices” to account.
In the latest push for the reform, the Fix the Tix coalition has written a letter urging the Senate Commerce Committee to support the bill.
In addition to the aforementioned artists, the letter has been signed by the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, Lorde, Sia, Train, Fall Out Boy, Graham Nash, Becky G and Chappell Roan.
The legislation has also been endorsed by Live Nation, National Independent Venue Association, Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America, Eventbrite, North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, International Association of Venue Managers, Music Managers Forum and the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO), among others.
“We are joining together to say that the current system is broken”
“We are joining 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 favourite artists at a fair price,” reads the letter, addressed to Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
It continues: “We, as artists, as music lovers, and as concert attendees ourselves, urge you to support the Fans First Act to combat predatory resellers’ deceptive ticketing practices and the secondary platforms, which also profit from these practices. Predatory resellers should not be more profitable than the people dedicating their lives to their art.”
The Fans First Act would require all ticket sellers and resellers to disclose and break down the total cost of a ticket, including fees. It would also bolster the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which was introduced in 2016 to prohibit scalpers from using software to buy high volumes of tickets, by further prohibiting the use of bots to purchase tickets.
The senators co-sponsoring the bill are Republican senators John Cornyn, Marsha Blackburn and Roger Wicker, and Democrats Amy Klobuchar, Ben Ray Luján, Peter Welch and Mark Kelly.
Fans First is one of several bills introduced in recent years aimed at combating unfair ticketing practices, including the BOSS and SWIFT Act and the TICKET Act.
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Fix the Tix unveils plan for ticketing reform
Fix the Tix, a coalition of 30 US-based organisations across live entertainment, has unveiled its plan for ticketing reform.
Touted as a pro-artist and pro-consumer plan, it suggests a roadmap for Congress to address ‘urgent’ issues and restore trust in the ticketing experience for fans and artists.
“The current ticketing market exposes fans and artists to predatory resellers, fraudulent practices, and exorbitant prices,” reads a statement from the recently formed coalition, which includes Wasserman, See Tickets, Universal Music Group and DICE.
“To combat these challenges, Fix the Tix calls on Congress to enact federal legislation that safeguards consumers from fake and speculative tickets, price gouging, and deceptive practices while ensuring transparency and integrity in the ticketing marketplace.”
The Fix the Tix plan includes provisions to:
● Protect consumers from price gouging.
● Ban speculative and fake tickets.
● End fraudulent resale practices.
● Ensure transparent ticket pricing.
● Prioritise fan safety.
● Guarantee fans the opportunity to resell their tickets to recoup their costs.
● Ensure certainty in ticket-buying across the country.
● Further ban ticket-buying bots.
● Protect consumers from consolidation.
The plan is backed by a coalition of groups representing artists, actors, live entertainment workers, venues, festivals, performing arts, record labels, promoters, agents, managers, songwriters, consumers, and unions.
National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Music Managers Forum (MMF-US), National Independent Talent Organization (NITO), Recording Academy and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are among the members of the coalition.
Fix the Tix recently slammed the ‘BOSS and SWIFT Act’ – yet another proposal for ticketing reform in the US.
The coalition says that while it “provides some transparency for consumers, it does so in exchange for anti-fan and anti-artist handouts for scalpers and secondary ticketing platforms that do not contribute to the live entertainment ecosystem”.
Its statement added that “it would increase ticket prices, enshrine deceptive practices like speculative tickets, and cause an even worse ticket-buying experience for true fans”.
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Wasserman, See Tickets and more form Fix the Tix
Nineteen organisations from across the music industry have formed a coalition to “collectively advocate for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”.
The coalition, named Fix the Tix, comprises companies and associations operating in North America such as Wasserman, See Tickets, Universal Music Group and DICE.
“With representation from venues, promoters and producers, the performing arts, artists groups, recorded music, and independent ticketing companies, this coalition represents stakeholders who take on all the risk to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bring joy, employment, and economic impact to communities across America,” reads a statement from the alliance.
“We are collectively advocating for a ticketing experience better than the nightmare many fans and artists currently navigate”
“We are coming together to protect fans from price gouging and deceptive and predatory ticketing practices.”
The creation of the coalition comes during an upheaval of ticketing practices in the US, with lawmakers attempting to clamp down on ticket sellers.
Fix the Tix is the latest coalition to be formed by the live industry after Fans & Artists Insisting on Reforms (FAIR) Ticketing, launched in March by 20 companies including Live Nation, CAA, UTA, Wasserman Music and WME.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino this week addressed high-profile furores over ticket prices and on-sales and identified areas of improvement for the ticketing industry.
Fix the Tix has promised more “important announcements” in the coming weeks.
At launch, the coalition includes:
• National Independent Venue Assocation (NIVA)
• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
• Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
• Artist Rights Alliance
• Arts Action Fund (AAF)
• Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)
• Black Music Action Coalition
• DICE
• Future of Music Coalition
• Music Artists Coalition
• Music Managers Forum (MMF-US)
• National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)
• Recording Academy
• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
• Seattle Theatre Group
• See Tickets
• Songwriters of North America
• Universal Music Group
• Wasserman
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