Billie Eilish, Lorde and Green Day sign open letter petitioning for bill to protect fans from ticket scams

Billie Eilish, Lorde and Green Day are among the signees of an open letter calling for a bill to be passed to protect gig goers from ticket scams.

Over 280 musicians have signed the letter, which encourages lawmakers to implement the Fans First Act to prevent ticketing scams and people reselling tickets at massively inflated prices.

Other big-name signees include Fall Out Boy, Duran Duran, Finneas, Graham Nash, Nile Rodgers, Chappell Roan, Cyndi Lauper and Sia.

“We are joining together to say that the current system is broken: predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favorite artists at a fair price,” the letter reads.

“As artists and members of the music community, we rely on touring for our livelihood, and we value music fans above all else.

“We are joining together to say that the current system is broken; predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favourite artists at a fair price.

They conclude: “Predatory resellers should not be more profitable than the people dedicating their lives to their art.”

The Fans First Act was was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators last December. It was referred to and remains before the committee, which would need to approve it so it can be voted on. It focuses on three priorities: ticket sales transparency, consumer protection and stopping bad actors.

The bill would require live event ticket sellers and resellers to share more information about ticket costs and seat location, refund customers the full ticket price when events are canceled and create a reporting website for fans to file complaints. It also contains details of penalties and enforcements for ticket retailers who don’t comply.

The letter was put together by Fix the Tix, a coalition of over two dozen live event industry organizations led by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).

Earlier this month, Wall Street Journal reported that Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster is set to face an antitrust lawsuit from the US Justice Department as soon as next month.

The suit is reportedly set to allege that the company’s concert promotion and ticketing operations have undermined competition in the live music industry.

The report claims that since the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the enterprise has gone on to control more than 80 per cent of the market for ticket sales in the US. The Journal reports that issues covered by the suit will include unfair market leverage, high transaction fees and flawed customer service.

In response to the report, Live Nation’s head of corporate affairs, Dan Wall, argued that the company in fact has more competition than ever. “If you have to hone in on one slice of the market in order to allege a monopoly, then there isn’t one,” he said.

Ticketmaster faced high-profile controversy in late 2022 after well-publicised issues surrounding the ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’. The company said there had been “historically unprecedented demand” for the concerts.

As well as US lawmakers calling for an investigation into the company as a result, two US senators urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to answer for “the steps” it was taking to “combat the use and operation of bots in the online ticket marketplace”.

Some fans of Swift later filed a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster, with plaintiffs accusing the company of violating two laws – the California Cartwright Act and the California Unfair Competition Law – during the first Verified Fan pre-sale. Live Nation president Joe Berchtold blamed cyber attacks for the sale issues. The main plaintiff in that case dropped the suit in December 2023, with both sides “agreeing to continue their ongoing settlement discussions through mediation.”

The post Billie Eilish, Lorde and Green Day sign open letter petitioning for bill to protect fans from ticket scams appeared first on NME.