Live Nation supports TICKET Act, Independents Do Not

Live Nation supports the TICKET Act, the concert and ticketing giant said in a statement. But leading independent live music trade groups say the bill in its current form will not fix a broken ticket resale system.

Live Nation supports TICKET Act, Independents Do Not

The House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously approved the TICKET Act Tuesday, sending it to the full U.S. House for consideration. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate earlier this year.

Live Nation: “We’re grateful”

“We’re grateful to Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Jan Schakowsky, Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for re-introducing the TICKET Act, which includes an all-in pricing mandate and bans speculative ticketing – a deceptive scheme that targets concert-going fans,” Live Nation said in a statement shared with Hypebot. “Live Nation has long advocated for such reforms, and we’re hopeful Congress could soon pass these important changes into law to make the concert industry better for fans and artists.”

Independents Oppose The Bill

But groups representing independent venues, promoters, artists, agents, and managers want stronger protections. They are are pushing for a rewrite without what they see as the loopholes included in the current bill.

“The TICKET Act should not become law…”

“The TICKET Act still does not have the support of the people that actually put on the shows. On a bipartisan basis, the states and the White House have acknowledged an unchecked resale market is the problem,” the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) said in a statement. “It’s alarming Congress continues to fall further behind. The TICKET Act should not become law until Congress closes loopholes, makes the bill enforceable, and strengthens the BOTS Act.”

“The Ticket Act will be an improvement on the status quo and we appreciate Congress’s dedication to this issue,” said Nathaniel Marro of the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO). “However, we were disappointed that artist and creator voices weren’t more present and represented in the process. More could have been done to protect consumers and fans against predatory resellers and create a safer ticket buying process for everyone. That being said, we will continue to work hard with both the Senate and House to get a bill passed.” 

ALSO: Congress advances TICKET Act without important changes

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency