Fan Freedom Speaks Up

Fan Freedom Project, the StubHub-supported consumer advocacy group, has clarified where exactly it had issues with Tennessee’s Fairness in Ticketing Act, which recently died following intense legislative debate.

Fan Freedom Spokesman Chris Grimm told Pollstar the organization has “no problem with brokers registering, disclosing face value of the seats, etc.,” but the group did oppose a few specific provisions in the bill.

One section in the house version of the legislation stated “no law shall prohibit the resale or offering for resale of any ticket” as long as it is “authorized in writing by the organizer of the entertainment event, and the owner or operator of the place of entertainment.”

It also granted event presenters and venue operators the rights to use “any ticketing methods for the initial sale of tickets, through any medium, whether existing now or in the future.”

The corresponding senate version of the bill also included what Fan Freedom Project considered a doozie, granting venue owners the right to “eject or refuse entry to the holder of any ticket for reason of illegal activity, misconduct, or any failure of the ticket holder to comply with any and all policies established by the place of entertainment.”

Grimm said these provisions “take away fans’ right to choose how a ticket is used after purchase and authorizes venues, teams and ticket sellers to create mini-monopolies where they can control every initial ticket sale, resale or free transfer.”