Billie Eilish, Sia, Dave Matthews, Green Day and others join Congressional push to fix ticketing system
Anyone who has tried to secure tickets to a concert in recent years knows that the system is broken. Luckily, many top acts know it is broken, too, and want something done about it.
Over 250 artists, including Billie Eilish, Dave Matthews, Lorde, Sia, Train, Graham Nash, Green Day, Cyndi Lauper, Fall Out Boy, Chappell Roan, Becky G, Béla Fleck, Jason Mraz, Yes, MGMT, Blue Öyster Cult and many others have lent their names to bills currently put before congress, the Fans First Act and The Ticket Act, which basically pokes holes in the current ticketing system that frequently drives up prices and creates an unfair secondary market. The bills by members of both parties, like Republican Texas senator John Cornyn and Democratic Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar.
Currently, for any in-demand ticket, bots and bad actors are gobbling up inventory, then flipping them for high prices. Safeguards are in place—like acts having their own fan club codes for early access—which makes going to see a show about as joyful as getting a reference from your primary care physician to see a specialist. Then there is the “platinum club” seating set aside by Ticketmaster for the mega-wealthy, for whom an $800 spend is no different than an $80 spend.
“It is clear that all participants of the live event ecosystem, from artists, to venues, to fans, demand comprehensive ticketing reform and consumer protection against the predatory ticket resale practices that have deeply afflicted live entertainment in the United States,” said Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association. “The Fix the Tix Coalition is proud to deliver this critical call to action from artists whose fans experience the injustices of the resale market every show. And, we hope their message resonates with Congress, as officials elected to protect their constituents and as Americans who simply love music. The time for comprehensive ticketing reform is now.”
Fighting a quixotic war for fairer ticketing is nothing new, especially for Pearl Jam fans, but it’s nice to see representatives from the United States government from both the Democratic and Republican parties working together to try and accomplish something. You can take a closer look at both bills here.
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