A coalition of over 250 prominent musicians, including Billie Eilish, Green Day, and Dave Matthews, have jointly penned a letter urging the Senate Commerce Committee to throw their support behind the Fans First Act. This legislation, introduced and referred to the Commerce Committee in December, aims to address critical issues within the live-event ticketing system, such as ticket transparency, consumer protection, and prevention of exorbitant resale prices by unscrupulous actors.
Organized by Fix the Tix, a coalition led by the National Independent Venue Association and Eventbrite, the letter was directed to Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell and ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz. Notable signatories to the letter also include Cyndi Lauper, Jason Mraz, Lorde, Sia, Train, Fall Out Boy, Graham Nash, Becky G, and Chappell Roan.
The discontent towards the ticketing industry, particularly Ticketmaster, has escalated in recent years. In a notable incident in 2022, fans sued Ticketmaster after the company struggled to manage the demand for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets. This debacle prompted a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to scrutinize Ticketmaster’s dominance in the industry. (It’s worth noting that Taylor Swift did not participate in signing the letter.)
The joint letter emphasizes the broken nature of the current ticketing system, citing predatory resellers and secondary platforms engaging in deceptive practices to inflate ticket prices, thus depriving fans of fair access to their favorite artists. Stephen Parker, the executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, echoed these sentiments, stating that comprehensive ticketing reform is urgently needed to protect consumers and uphold fairness within the live entertainment industry.
