Nashville artists and musicians are urging Congress to pass the “Fans First Act” in order to combat price manipulation in the live-event ticketing industry. The National Independent Venue Association, with support from major artists like Billie Eilish and Green Day, delivered a letter to a Senate committee calling for reform to protect both musicians and fans from scalping and secondary ticketing platforms.
Chris Cobb, President of the Tennessee Chapter of the National Independent Venues Association, emphasized the importance of restoring integrity to the ticketing process and ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and tools to prevent bad actors from profiting at the expense of artists and fans.
Local musician Ben de la Cour highlighted the detrimental impact that ticket scalping and high fees have on the music industry, especially for local artists who struggle to attract audiences when fans are spending their money on inflated ticket prices for big-name acts.
The issue hits close to home for Music City, where Nashville’s cultural identity relies heavily on its vibrant music scene. With Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and third-party resellers like StubHub being singled out as the main culprits, lawmakers at both the state and federal level, including Senator Marsha Blackburn and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, are heeding the call for reform.
By joining the US Justice Department and other states in a lawsuit against Live Nation, these officials are showing their support for the efforts of musicians and industry professionals to create a fairer and more equitable ticketing system for all.
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