The next leg of The Eras Tour will kick off in May and the incident of buying fake and “sky-high” tickets is still causing a lot of discussion. According to The Straits Times , recently, US federal and state lawmakers have stepped up investigations into fraudulent ticket sales or taking advantage of music fans.
“Their main goal is to prevent individuals or groups of people from speculating on tickets to push up resale prices. In some cases, this group of people demand thousands of dollars for a concert ticket, while the original price is on the website. only about 200 USD . Buying and reselling helps them make big profits,” the newspaper wrote.
America is trying to fight back against ticket speculation
November 2022 is the time when tickets to see Taylor Swift shows are most sought after. Because they cannot compete directly with millions of people on Ticketmaster, many audiences accept paying thousands of dollars to buy tickets from the black market.
More tellingly, so-called “special tickets” are often advertised with warnings such as “only 3-4 tickets left,” misleadingly suggesting to consumers that they should buy now or miss out. However, after payment, not everyone is lucky to receive real tickets.
Faced with a series of increasingly sophisticated scams, in the US, bills have been introduced in 20 states to address the sale of fake and fraudulent tickets at music events, according to the National Conference of Musicians. State Legislature.
The state of Maryland announced that “ticket touting” will be considered illegal from July 1, and violators will be subject to fines. In Illinois, a ban on ticket scalping was passed by the state Senate. The Colorado House of Representatives passed similar legislation, but would require more price transparency and ban websites with designs that mimic legitimate ticket sales channels because this misleads consumers into thinking they are buying directly from the mainstream platform.
The introduction of the Taylor Swift Act in the state of Arizona is making headlines. The law prohibits buying more tickets than allowed for a public music show or other event; Prohibits using multiple IP addresses or email accounts to attempt to purchase more than allowed; Prohibits the use of tools that disable pre-sale codes, waiting times or electronic queues…. Violators will be fined from 10,000 USD to 100,000 USD .
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The Taylor Swift Act was created to prevent ticket speculation and the sale of fake tickets. Photo: Canberratimes. |
On April 25, 250 artists including Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Green Day, Fall Out Boy… spoke out in support of the Fans First Act, a bill awaiting approval by the US Senate. Development of the bill is underway.
This law will help prevent ticket speculation and require pricing for all types of sales, outlaw scam websites, and strengthen enforcement of penalties for using bots to obtain tickets.
“Together, we are pushing back against the current form of predatory ticket sales. Ticket hunters for resale and secondary platforms engaging in fraudulent ticket sales have taken away the opportunity to meet your favorite artists.” of the audience,” the artists wrote in a letter to the government agency.
Entry ticket sales platform
According to Reuters, ticketing platforms support the proposed legal changes.
Companies developing ticketing technology, including Ticketmaster and SeatGeek, have committed to upfront pricing and eliminating junk fees from the start. They claim to display any additional fees upfront when purchasing tickets. The commitment was made during a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House not long ago. This action was recognized by the White House as “voluntary and honest”.
Ticketmaster, part of Live Nation Entertainment, which sells music show tickets to all of the world’s top artists, said it agrees with the bans on speculative sales and fraudulent websites, as well as stricter enforcement. anti-bot law.
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Ticket speculation also occurs for music shows by Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars… Photo: Rollingstone. |
Adam Budelli – spokesperson for ticket sales company StubHub – expressed a similar opinion, and affirmed that if they are found to violate policies, they accept to face the heaviest consequences, from fines to deletion. foundation book. “If a buyer has a problem, StubHub will find a ticket of equal value or a better price to give them, or give them a full refund if they want,” Budelli said.
Responding to the media, StubHub representatives expressed support for the Ticket Act being discussed in the US House of Representatives and Senate. The House bill would ban speculative ticket sales along with other activities, while the Senate measure calls for comprehensive ticket pricing.
Recently, the Fix The Tix coalition was formed, led by the National Independent Venue Association (Niva), to push for the passage of the Fans First Act, which they say would provide protections. Strongest protection for ticket buyers.
Mr. Stephen Parker, chief executive of Niva, said the bill was “the most fan- and artist-friendly ticketing legislation Congress has ever introduced”. “The bill makes abusive, predatory behavior from resale platforms and ticket brokers illegal,” Parker concluded.
