In good news for live music and sports fans, a bipartisan cohort of Senators has just introduced the Fans First Act, which aims to address inequities in the current live event ticketing system by increasing transparency in ticket sales, protecting consumers from fake or dramatically overpriced tickets, and guaranteeing refunds in the event of cancellations.
Right now, buying a ticket to a concert or sporting event is a veritable minefield of predatory practices, such as speculative ticket buying and the use of automated programs to buy large numbers of tickets for resale at inflated prices.
“Buying a ticket to see your favorite artist or team is out of reach for too many Americans,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). “Bots, hidden fees, and predatory practices are hurting consumers whether they want to catch a home game, an up-and-coming artist, or a major headliner like Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny. From ensuring fans get refunds for canceled shows to banning speculative ticket sales, this bipartisan legislation will improve the ticketing experience.”
In the House, parallel legislation was just passed through committee by an overwhelming 45 to nil. “We would like to thank our colleagues, both on and off committee, for their collaboration. This bipartisan achievement is the result of months and years of hard work by Members on both sides of the aisle,” said the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “Our committee will continue to lead the way on this effort as we further our work to bring this solution to the House floor.”
Naturally, hundreds of artists are enthusiastically supporting the Fans First Act, sure in the knowledge that legions of their supporters are getting royally rippled off - and pissed off.
The political campaign organizers, calling themselves 'Fix the Tix' write that included among the supporters of the legislation is a coalition of live event industry organizations and professionals, who have formed to advocate on behalf of concertgoers.
Let's hope the act passes, and fans get a cheaper and better ticket buying experience.