(CelebrityAccess) — Amid the ongoing debate about the equity of concert ticketing in the modern era, the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) announced a plan to reform the industry.
NITO’s plan proposes nine key changes that the organization says will help to reshape the ticketing industry in the interests of independent artists, music venues, talent agencies and fans.
The National Independent Talent Organization’s nine reform planks
● Itemized All-In Ticketing, where the fees are clearly separated from the face value of the ticket
● Fee transparency, wherein all fees are clearly listed and included on each and every offer sheet
● A cap on ticket fees
● Fan-to-Fan face value transfer with no additional fees
● The right for the Artist and/or Artist’s rep to control the terms of resale on their own tickets
● A ban on speculative ticketing on the secondary market
● A ban on primary ticketing platforms taking place in and profiting from secondary market sales
● The ability for artists and their representatives to access their own ticket buyer data for their use
● Stronger laws and enforcement to end ticketing bots
So far, the plan has garnered support from forty-five NITO member independent management companies and booking agencies, who have put their stamp of approval on the nine point proposal.
Those members include Arrival Artists, Artisan Agency, Ashley Talent International, Big Fish Booking Company, Bonfire Touring, Cass Clayton Music, Ceremony Music Group, ComboPlate Booking, Concerted Efforts, Core Entertainment, Crossover Touring, Distance Management, Entourage Talent Associates, Fenway Recordings, Force Media Management, Fort William Management, Ground Control Touring, High Road Touring, Intrepid Artists International, The Kurland Agency, Leafy Green Booking, Leave Home Booking, Lobel Arts, Lytle Management Group, Madison House, Magnus Talent Agency, Manage This!, Mongrel Music, Musical Concepts, New Frontier Touring, Nimbleslick Entertainment, Nine Mile, Paladin Artists, Partisan Arts, Patrick Rains and Associates, Pinnacle Entertainment, RajiWorld, Skyline Artists Agency, Sound Talent Group, SRO Artists, The Mark Spector Company, This Is Management, TKO, TT Management, and Upward Spiral Music.
For their next step, NITO plans to work with like-minded organizations in the entertainment sphere to help pass federal and state legislation that protects artists and fans, direct lobbying of legislators, promoters, and ticketing companies, as well as establishing and creating an awareness campaign to educate the industry and fans regarding these issues.
“A broken ticket-buying experience now overshadows tour announcements, and at some point, fans will say ‘enough is enough.’ Between outrageous fees and scalpers, it’s harder than ever to buy a ticket at the price the artist sets,” stated NITO Ticketing Task Force Chairman, Nathaniel Marro, Entourage Talent Associates.
“The magic of the live concert is in that unique moment when fans can experience a deep, in-person connection with their favorite artist. Unfortunately, the very beginning of that concert going experience – the ticket buying process itself – has become a very distasteful transaction. In that regard, we as an industry are neglecting the fans, who are the very ones that put food on everyone’s table,” added NITO Executive Board Member Michel Vega, CEO of Magnus Media.
