WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – After bipartisan politicians introduced the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act in June 2023, it received a lot of backing from the music industry. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL) and Gus Bilirakis (FL) introduced legislation last year “to improve transparency in the entertainment industry by requiring all event ticket sellers to display the total ticket price — including all required fees — in any advertisement, marketing or promotional materials.”
The TICKET Act would increase transparency and fairness in the live event ticket marketplace by:
- Requiring the total price of an event ticket be displayed upfront, inclusive of all fees
- Banning the sale of a ticket that a seller does not have (“speculative ticketing”)
- Guaranteeing refunds for event cancellations and postponements
- Requiring clear disclosures and banning deceptive URLs to protect consumers from fraudulent ticketing websites
- Requiring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) study and report on enforcement of the BOTS Act (2016)
The bill passed the House in a landslide vote of 338-24 last night. The news that the House is pushing it through comes after the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved it 45-0 in December 2023. It will move to the Senate before President Joe Biden signs it into law.
Rep. Schakowsky posted on her X account after the House passed the legislation.
The TICKET Act just passed the House of Representatives!
We are so close to protecting consumers from fraudulent tickets, surprise costs, and excessive fees.
I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to @POTUS‘ desk! https://t.co/AkexP3ClyX
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) May 15, 2024
Rep. Schakowsky, along with House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair – Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (WA), Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ), and Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Rep. Bilirakis (FL), also applauded the House decision in a joint statement.
This consensus legislation will end deceptive ticketing practices that frustrate consumers who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event by restoring fairness and transparency to the ticket marketplace. After years of bipartisan work, we will now be able to enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. We look forward to continuing to work together to urge quick Senate passage so that we can send it to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
The Fix the Tix Coalition, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) commended the House’s passage of the TICKET Act. The organizations now call on the Senate to pass the Fans First Act, which builds on the TICKET Act by including additional provisions to ban speculative (fake) tickets, ensure that deceptive imagery on websites does not trick consumers, increase mandatory reporting of illegal BOTS to obtain tickets, to require clear and conspicuous itemization of the ticket price and fees at the beginning of the transaction, and to provide meaningful enforcement of these provisions.
“The Fix the Tix Coalition, representing every major constituency of the music and live events industry, applauds the passage of H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act, as an important step towards restoring trust in the ticketing ecosystem. The bill provides transparency with all-in pricing and takes important steps to combat speculative tickets and deceptive websites. We urge the Senate to build on this progress by strengthening these provisions, increasing enforcement of the BOTS Act and providing additional avenues of enforcement to combat predatory and deceptive ticketing practices. The live entertainment ecosystem is counting on Congress to act in the best interests of fans to restore transparency and trust to our country’s broken ticketing system.” – Fix the Tix Coalition
“We commend House passage of H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act, which will help to improve the ticket-buying experience for fans, to protect the livelihoods of artists, and to preserve independent venues across the nation. Not only has the U.S. House of Representatives moved to protect consumers from predatory and deceptive ticketing practices, but states across the country, including Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have recently banned, without exception, speculative tickets on a bipartisan basis. We call on Congress to do the same, to build on the TICKET Act and adopt strong, enforceable, comprehensive ticketing reform legislation like the Fans First Act.” – Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA
“We commend the House on passing the TICKET Act, an important step towards making comprehensive ticket legislation federal law. The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) now calls on the Senate to pass the Fans First Act, which includes a total ban on speculative tickets and requires itemized ticket fees at the beginning of purchase so that fans know the price they will pay and the price the artist intended. We will continue our work to move comprehensive ticket legislation forward.” – Nathaniel Marro, Managing Director of NITO (Fix the Tix Member)
“Eventbrite celebrates the resounding House passage of live event ticketing reform and commends bill sponsors and committee leadership for strengthening the legislation before passing it. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn to build upon this progress for consumers and fans by passing the bipartisan and comprehensive Fans First Act (S. 3457) as soon as possible.” – Julia Hartz, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eventbrite (Fix the Tix Steering Committee Member)
For more information on the Senate Fans First Act, the House TICKET Act and the Senate TICKET Act, click HERE to see the Congressional Ticketing Side by Side.
