More Than 65K Join Push For Congressional Action On Tickets, Fix The Tix Says

More than 65,000 letters were sent to members of Congress and the White House as part of the Fix The Tix Coalition’s push for passage of the Fans First Act this week, the group said.

The National Independent Venue Association-led group urged supporters of ticketing reform to contact their representatives and the White House Tuesday as Congress returned to session.

“It is more clear than ever that the consumers, fans, and artists that make up this country’s live events industry will not stand by and let predatory resellers control our ticketing-buying experience,” Stephen Parker, NIVA Executive Director, said in a statement. “This week’s actions send a clear message to Congress that the time for comprehensive reform is now. This country needs legislation that bans fake tickets, ends price gouging, and illegalizes deceptive marketing tactics. And consumers will not stop advocating for clear protections from fraud and deception until trust and transparency is restored.”

While the House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act in May, Fix The Tix is advocating for the similar, but stronger Fans First Act, which was introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in December.

In addition to a wholesale ban on speculative tickets, Fans First requires all-in pricing from the beginning of the ticket sale price, disclosure if the ticket is being resold and full refunds for canceled events. It strengthens 2016’s BOTS Act, which has been criticized as difficult to enforce; the FTC has only brought a single prosecution under the bot-fighting bill in seven years. It also bars ticket resellers from using any intellectual property — beyond just the name — of artists, venues or primary ticketing sites to sell tickets; this sort of digital flimflam has proven persistent, fooling even the professionally incredulous. It would also fund a study on the ticketing industry from the Government Accountability Office, the first of its kind.