A new reform bill has recently been introduced in the U.S. Senate. According to Billboard, the new reform bill is set to target ticket resales and price transparency. The new reform bill, titled the Fans First Act, is sponsored by various U.S. senators, including John Cornyn, Amy Klobuchar, Marsha Blackburn, Ben Ray-Lujan, etc. Additionally, the bill would lead to needed reforms advocated by consumer rights groups, advocacy groups, live music companies, and members of the Fix the Tix coalition.
Senator John Cornyn vocalized his views on the current ticketing system, describing it to not serve the needs of fans, teams, artists, and other venues. With the proposal of a new reform bill, the bill will allocate the rebuilding of the ticketing system by removing bots and other threats preventing fans from buying their ticket. Similarly, Senator Amy Klobuchar also advocated that the Fans First Act would help fans secure their tickets. She also vocalized how harmful bots, hidden fees, etc affected fans when they purchased tickets. Both Senators Blackburn and Ray-Lujan discussed similar views.
The terms of the Fans First Act also detail that ticket-selling sites, including Live Nation and Ticketmaster, to disclose the full price of tickets and fees, as well as the details if a primary seller or third-party reseller sells the ticket. Additionally, the reform bill is set to strengthen the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act that was signed by former President Barack Obama. Moreover, the proposed bill also requires the reseller or primary seller to provide proof of purchase within 24 hours and to give a full refund if an event is canceled. If the Fans First Act is passed, the bill would also commission a Government Accountability Office study to both investigate and study the marketplace and make recommendations to it. The proposed reform bill also intends to ban speculative ticket sales as well.
As for potential cases where people violate the proposed law, they would face possible civil penalities and be reported through a website that fans could file complaints. These complaints are then investigated by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorney generals.
The terms of the Fans First Act is set to be reviewed and discussed by the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ticket selling site Live Nation also released a statement regarding their endorsement of the potential reform bill. Harvey Mason Jr, the CEO of Recording Academy, also addressed his support for the Fans First Act today, Friday, December 8.
Last week, Live Nation’s “On the Road Again” initiative was reported to increase the minimum wage for staff at clubs in both the United States and Canada.
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