Christopher BarrettMore than 20 of the live music industry’s biggest players have joined Live Nation Entertainment (LNE) and its Ticketmaster arm in supporting the Fans & Artists Insisting on Reforms (FAIR Ticketing Reforms) campaign, calling on US legislation to outlaw ticket scalping.
Supporters include promoters, artist coalitions, management groups, music labels, and agencies. Among them are Universal Music Group, Red Light Management, music talent agencies – CAA, UTA, Wasserman and WME – and groups including Black Music Action Coalition and Music Artists Coalition.
LNE rival promoter AEG, and its ticketing arm AXS, has not signed up, and so far no independent US promoters have lent their support.
The campaign has gained momentum following renewed congressional scrutiny of Ticketmaster and the ticketing industry.
The campaign is calling for reforms that include:
- Give artists the right to decide how their tickets can be sold, transferred and resold
- Make speculative ticket selling and other deceptive practices used to sell tickets illegal
- Expand and create stricter enforcement of the 2016 BOTS Act
- Police and fine resale sites that serve as a safe haven for scalpers and knowingly sell tickets that are illegally acquired
- Mandate all-in pricing across all ticketing marketplaces nationally so that fans know the full out-of-pocket cost of a ticket plus fees right upfront
WME global head of contemporary music Lucy Dickins said, “There is no doubt that change is needed in the current ticketing ecosystem to protect our clients and their work. The FAIR Ticketing reforms would provide the necessary tools to empower artists and creators who know their fans best while putting an end to deceptive ticketing practices.”
LNE CEO Michael Rapino said, “Bots and scalpers cause chaos in the current onsale process, leaving lots of fans disappointed. Artists are fiercely protective of their fans and we need to make sure laws help artists control their concert intellectual property and how their tickets are sold. That would be a big step forward in helping fans buy tickets at the prices artists set.”
Wasserman Music EVP & managing executive Sam Hunt said the FAIR Ticketing reforms are a crucial leap toward creating a process that is equitable and transparent to all parties.