New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Fans mean everything to artists, and the best way to ensure a fair ticketing experience for live music fans is to put more control in the hands of the artists themselves.
ARTISTS SHOULD DECIDE RESALE RULES.
Protect artists' ability to use face-value exchanges and limited transfer to keep pricing lower for fans, and prevent scalpers from exploiting fans.
MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO SELL SPECULATIVE TICKETS.
Scalpers use deceptive tactics to trick fans into spending more or buying tickets the seller doesn't even have - this confuses fans and should be banned.
EXPAND THE BOTS ACT.
Policymakers should expand the scope of the BOTS Act and increase enforcement to deter those who break the law, cheating artists and fans in the process.
CRACK DOWN ON RESALE SITES THAT ARE SAFE HAVENS FOR SCALPERS.
Resale sites that turn a blind eye to illegally acquired tickets, allow ticket speculation, and ignore artists' rules need real consequences from policymakers to curb their bad behavior.
MANDATE ALL-IN PRICING NATIONALLY.
Avoid surprises at check out and give fans the ability to easily compare prices as they shop by mandating all-in pricing that shows the full out of pocket cost of the ticket and fees right upfront.
We already follow many of these common sense policies and are ready to make additional changes, but we can't do it alone. We need the entire industry and policymakers to stand up for fans and artists.
RESALE IS RUNNING AWAY WITH THE LOOT…AND THE LAW
TO PROTECT FANS, LAWS NEED TO PROTECT ARTIST CONTROL OF TICKETS
Advocating for FAIR Ticketing policies has never been more important because artists are actively losing their ability to control their tickets in states all over the country - which is hurting fans, and helping scalpers.
6 states already passed legislation protecting resale:
- Illinois
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- New York
- Virginia
- Utah
6 more states are considering new laws to protect resale:
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Washington
Why it matters?
Scalper lobbyists use terms like "fan freedom" to sound like they are looking out for consumers - but unlimited resale protects scalpers more than fans. Programs like fan-to-fan face value exchanges are designed specifically to ensure fans still have maximum flexibility when buying tickets, but tickets stay at prices artists set. Runaway resale laws make programs like this illegal.
How to Fix it?
To truly protect consumers, Congress should make a federal law that backstops artist's ability to control their tickets. Together, we can create a FAIR system that benefits everyone.
