Fix The Tix Day of Action Compels Congress to Pass Comprehensive Ticketing Reform
Following House Ticketing Bill Passage, the Senate Should Act on Fans First Act to End Anti-Competitive and Predatory Practices in the Resale Market
Washington, D.C. (July 8, 2024) – Today, the Fix the Tix Coalition, led by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), formally announced a nationwide day of action tomorrow, July 9, dedicated to advocating for passage of the Fans First Act (S. 3457). This coordinated effort will rally industry organizations, artists, and fans to urge their Congressional representatives to pass much-needed federal protections against live event ticketing scams and deceptive practices by the end of 2024.
The nation’s live entertainment and event community urges every fan, artist, and member of the music and performance community to reach out to Congress tomorrow to demand action. All who care about ticketing can reach out to their Senators, Members of Congress, and the White House in less than a minute on fixthetix.org.
With the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the TICKET Act, there is an opportunity for the U.S. Senate to take action on bipartisan legislation, the Fans First Act, that would enact meaningful consumer protections specifically for ticket buyers for the first time in the nation’s history. This comes as unchecked multinational conglomerate resale platforms are empowering predatory ticket brokers to defraud fans and suppress competition in the ticketing market from artists and independent venues.
“The time is now to end fake tickets, price gouging, and deceptive marketing tactics,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA. “There is immense power in the collective voice of thousands of fans. Together, we can call on Congress to make comprehensive ticketing reform must-pass legislation in 2024 to restore trust in the ticketing ecosystem, protect the rights of fans, artists, and venues, and ensure a more vibrant and sustainable future for live events.”
A case study across five independent venues in the Washington, D.C. area shows that - in the first six months of 2024 - there have already been 73,000 speculative (fake) tickets for those venues listed on resale platforms, totaling an estimated $49 million. This includes speculative tickets on Stubhub as recently as last month, though StubHub claimed in April to Reuters that it "does not allow the sale of speculative tickets.”
“The Fix the Tix Day of Action is an important moment for all of us who believe in fair and transparent ticketing,” said Parker. “It’s a time to elevate the voices of fans and artists and harness their power as constituents. This is more than a one-day campaign. It’s a collective cry to protect consumers. We urge Congress to listen to the voices of fans and artists and put comprehensive ticketing reform on their list of must-pass legislation in 2024, alongside other critical legislation such as FY 2025 Appropriations and the Farm Bill.”
Every moment the Congress waits, more fans will fall victim to ticket scammers, more artists will have their tickets price-gouged when they are trying to put on an affordable experience for fans, and more venues and promoters will face the wave of anti-competitive practices from predatory resellers weaponizing deceptive websites promoted by nearly unlimited marketing budgets.
Tomorrow, everyone may reach out to their Senators, Member of Congress, and the White House on fixthetix.org.
ABOUT FIX THE TIX
Fix The Tix is a national advocacy coalition of more than 30 live music and event industry organizations, spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Eventbrite, collectively advocating to fix broken ticketing practices. The organization includes representation from venues, promoters and producers, the performing arts, artists, recorded music, agents, managers, and independent ticketing companies. The 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.
CONTACT
Lucky Break PR
Kris Ferraro, Kris@luckybreakpr.com
Mike Stommel, Mike@luckybreakpr.com
