Music groups urge Senate to ban speculative ticket sales

A coalition of music and entertainment organizations just told the Senate its federal ticketing bill has too many loopholes for scalpers and speculators to keep exploiting.

Fix the Tix coalition pressures the Senate

• NIVA leads the push to toughen the TICKET Act significantly.
• The letter targets the Senate Commerce Committee directly.
• Over 20 signatories span the Recording Academy to SAG-AFTRA.
• A companion House bill passed with bipartisan support last April.

Three big demands anchor the coalition's argument

• Speculative ticketing needs a total ban without any exceptions.
• Resale above original cost should be federally prohibited.
• All resale fees must be capped at 10% under their proposal.
• Full price-and-fee breakdowns should appear at ticket selection.

Speculative ticketing gets called outright deception

• Selling tickets not yet in a seller's possession is targeted.
• Concierge and seat-saver schemes catch specific criticism here.
• The coalition wants the Services Permitted provision deleted entirely.
• Fans bear all the risk while scalpers face zero consequences.

Live Nation's hearing set the stage for this push

• A January Senate subcommittee hearing grilled Live Nation's rep.
• Senator Marsha Blackburn led that panel on ticket scalping.
• Kid Rock testified alongside other industry stakeholders.
• The Senate's own TICKET Act version remains stuck in committee.