WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — The United States Senate on Friday introduced a new bill that seeks to provide protections for consumers after complaints about high fees, opaque policies, and out-of-control prices reached a crescendo among consumers in 2023.
The bill, called the Fans First Act, was introduced with bi-partisan support, including sponsor Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) as well as Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Ben Ray (D-MN), and Peter Welch (D-VT).
The proposed legislation, which focuses primarily on the secondary market, would require ticket sellers to disclose the full price of event tickets and would strengthen an existing law that bans the use of automated software (bots) to purchase tickets.
The proposed measure would also require ticket sellers to offer full refunds if an event is canceled, and create stiff penalties for violations of the new consumer protection rules.
The proposed Senate bill comes after the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the TICKET Act out of Committee.
The legislation would require ticket sellers to disclose the full price of a ticket, including all required fees in any advertising, marketing, or price list. It would also require ticket sellers to provide consumers with an itemized list of fees at the beginning of a transaction and require ticket resellers to inform consumers if the sale is for a speculative ticket and not one that they currently own.
While the proposed legislation in both the House and Senate tackled several of the worst aspects of the secondary market, neither bill included meaningful reforms for the primary market, including the high prices of concert tickets, which have doubled since 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Following the legislative moves in the House and Senate this week, both measures were supported by members of the Fix The Tix Coalition, which includes stakeholders such as Live Nation, the National Independent Venue Association, and the National Independent Talent Organization.
In a statement provided to CelebrityAccess, a Live Nation rep said: “We support the Fans First Act and welcome legislation that brings positive reform to live event ticketing. We believe it’s critical Congress acts to protect fans and artists from predatory resale practices, and have long supported a federal all-in pricing mandate, banning speculative ticketing and deceptive websites, as well as other measures. We look forward to our continued work with policymakers to advocate for even stronger reforms and enforcement.”
A separate statement from NITO said:
The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) applauds the US House of Energy and Commerce Committee for moving the TICKET Act out of Committee, the Senators who co-sponsored the Fans First Act, and NIVA and our fellow Fix The Tix coalition members for their tireless work on this issue.
It was a very important week in the fight against predatory resellers and ensuring a more transparent and protected ticket-buying process for concertgoers and artists alike.
These bills take steps to ban speculative (fake) tickets, block fake venue websites and deceptive marketing by resellers, strengthen the BOTS Act, and move to national all-in itemized pricing so fans know the true price artists are charging.
It was heartening to see the live music and events industry flood the halls of Congress to move forward with legislation that protects consumers and helps our industry address long-standing problems.
