Indie Venues & More call for action day to lobby Congress for ticketing

Pressure is mounting on Congress to pass legislation to regulate the live event ticketing business after the House of Representatives passed the Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act in May.

The Fix the Tix Coalition, led by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), is calling for a nationwide day of action on Tuesday (July 9) to encourage music fans, professionals and supporters to lobby their members of Congress to pass meaningful legislation to stop the growing problem of ticket fraud and deceptive practices in the live music business.

NIVA and other members of the Fix the Tix coalition, which includes the Recording Academy and the National Independent Talent Organization, are supporting their own legislation – the Senate Fans First Act, which is sponsored by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (Republican, Texas), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) – while supporting the passage of the TICKET Act, sponsored by Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (DN.J.) among others.

Both bills would ban the use of speculative ticket listings on sites like StubHub and SeatGeek, require total prices to be disclosed before checkout, and crack down on the use of misleading websites and URLs. The Fans First Act would also require resellers to disclose seat locations in their resale listings, prohibit bootleggers from buying up concert tickets through fan clubs, and provide better consumer protections for canceled events.

Fix The Tix officials are asking fans, artists and members of the music and performance community to contact Congress on Tuesday and demand action by the end of 2024.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act on May 15 by a vote of 388 to 24. The bill is currently before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

A case study conducted by Fix The Tix at five independent venues in the Washington, DC metropolitan area shows that 73,000 speculative tickets with a total estimated value of $49 million were listed on resale platforms in 2024. Speculative tickets are tickets that are not actually offered for sale, but are sold to consumers at a significant markup by sellers who promise to source and deliver the tickets before the concert. These offers can often be misleading and result in fraud.

“The Fix the Tix action day is an important moment for everyone who believes in fair and transparent ticket sales,” said Stephen ParkerExecutive Director of NIVA, in a press release. “It’s time to elevate the voices of fans and artists and use their power as voters. This is more than a one-day campaign. It’s a collective cry to protect the integrity of live performances. We call on Congress to listen to the voices of fans and artists and put comprehensive ticket reform on the list of bills that must be passed in 2024, alongside other important legislation like the FY 2025 appropriations bill and the Farm Bill.”

For information on how to contact Senators, Members of Congress and the White House for tomorrow’s day of action, visit fixthetix.org.