Senator Cantwell needs to hear from you! If you want Congress to enact comprehensive ticketing reform to protect consumers, empower creative economic development, and restore trust in the ticketing experience for fans and artists, voice your support today. Use the tool below to sign our petition letter urging Senator Cantwell to champion comprehensive ticketing reform legislation NOW.
To learn more about the Fans First Act, click here and visit the National Independent Venue Association's info page. This is new legislation that goes farther than previous bills to provide much needed ticketing reform. Questions? Email Manny at manny@inspirewashington.org.
Dear Senator Cantwell,
On behalf of Inspire Washington, a statewide coalition advocating for increased access to science, heritage, and the arts, we write today, first, with gratitude for your leadership on improving the ticket purchasing process. Second, we urge your support for the bipartisan Fans First Act (S. 3457), which addresses further flaws in the current live event ticketing system by increasing transparency in ticket sales, protecting consumers from fake or dramatically overpriced tickets, combating fake and deceptive websites, and holding accountable bad actors who engage in illegal ticket sale practices.
Washington's independent venues and members of the cultural arts economy support efforts to provide price transparency in the TICKET Act (S. 1303). However, we strongly believe that much more can be done to protect consumers, stop bad actors, and bolster our local economies.
The Fans First Act builds on the price transparency provisions in the TICKET Act by adding these critical reforms:
-
Requires all live event ticket sellers and resellers to disclose the itemized breakdown of face ticket value and fees as part of the ticket cost.
-
Protects fans from purchasing fake tickets by prohibiting the sale of a ticket that a reseller represents he or she possesses but actually does not, known as a speculative or “spec” ticket.
-
Helps fans access tickets at face value by preventing the use of deceptive websites by bad actors masquerading as legitimate sellers.
-
Guarantees that consumers receive a refund when an event is canceled.
-
Strengthens the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act by increasing mandatory reporting of BOTS security circumvention, which will increase enforcement against the use of bots to purchase tickets online and increase fan access to face-value tickets.
-
Imposes civil penalties on resellers engaging in illegal ticket sale practices, creates a reporting website for fans to file complaints, and tasks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general with enforcement.
-
Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to further study the ticketing marketplace, assess the prevalence of fraudulent ticketing practices, and make recommendations to Congress.
We are asking you to join us—the non-profits, small businesses, and cultural advocates in Washington—in support of the Fans First Act. This bill—which is supported by the Fix The Tix Coalition representing venues, promoters, producers, performing arts, artists, labels, independent ticketing companies, and organized labor—provides the bold action necessary to stop price gouging fans, foster the live entertainment ecosystem here in Washington, and improve the fan ticket-buying experience.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to discuss these critical issues further. Thank you again for your work on behalf of live music stakeholders and our fans in Washington.
Sincerely,
Inspire Washington