Fix The Tix Pushes For TICKET Act Change Including 10% Resale Cap

Fix The Tix, a coalition of music and live entertainment groups, is urging a Senate subcommittee to strengthen the House-passed version of the TICKET Act.

The alliance, led by the National Independent Venue Association, wrote a letter to key members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation asking for a 10% cap on resale markup, a loophole-free ban on speculative ticketing and upfront price transparency.

“Congress should ban resale above the original total cost of the ticket and cap all resale fees at no more than 10 percent,” the coalition wrote. “Across the country, fans are being priced out of live events not because artists or venues raised prices, but because resale markets allow unlimited markups and excessive fees divorced from any added value or risk.”

The letter was sent to committee chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX), ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), as well as Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO), who are the chair and ranking member of a the subcommittee on consumer protection, respectively.

Specifically, the letter calls for total cost disclosure when a consumer selects a ticket — not just at checkout — and for a ban on spec ticketing that includes a bar on so-called “seat saver” or “concierge” schemes, which critics say is just spec ticketing under another name. The boldest recommendation, however, is the 10% cap on resale, which would mirror a similar policy proposed in the UK and in a handful of states, though only in effect in Maine.

“When federal policy falls short, fans pay the price,” the coalition wrote. “They lose money, incur unnecessary travel costs, and often blame the artist or venue for problems caused by deceptive resale practices. Meanwhile, speculative sellers assume little risk and face few meaningful consequences.”