Media
NIVA In The NEws
News (2026)
NIVA’s “Live Independent” Presents the Mile High Stage as the Premier Craft Beer Event Moves to Levitt Pavilion in Denver, October 10–11
New Partnership Will Grow Kentucky’s Music Ecosystem, Boost Jobs And Tourism, And Offer A Model For States Across The Country
The Bill Is A First Step Toward Helping Drive Tourism To Independent Stages, Which Accounts for $10.6 Billion in Annual Visitor Spending and 9.2% of All U.S. Travel and Tourism Revenue
Band to Embark on 19-City Tour, Playing Only at Independent Venues as Part of NIVA’s Live Independent Program
Proposed Settlement’s Flaws Include an 8,000-Seat or Above Threshold for Live Nation’s Ticketing Monopoly - a Gerrymandered Definition That Writes Festivals and Most Venues Out Entirely - and a Penalty Equal to Roughly 1.7 Hours of Live Nation's Revenue
Senator Ben Ray Luján’s New GHOST Act Builds on Growing Federal Momentum for Meaningful Ticket Resale Reform Backed by Independent Small Business
Fans, Artists, & Independent Stages Urged To Tell Governor Newsom To Veto The Bill
California’s State Senate and Assembly Disregarded the Concerns of Small Businesses and Arts Communities by Passing AB 1349 Last Night
Corporate Middlemen Driving Live Entertainment Further Out Of Reach For Many Americans; Report Proposes Limiting Ticket Resale To Face Value And Capping Service Fees At 10%
New Data Highlights Minneapolis’ Stages $2.2 Billion Impact on Economy and Important Role in Supporting Tourism and Jobs
Massachusetts joins a growing number of states advancing resale price limitations to make live performance affordable and accessible
Live Industry Veterans David Weingarden of Z2 Entertainment; Cassie Dickson of Audiotree, Lincoln Hall, and Schubas Tavern; and Shayna Melgaard of Hennepin Arts Center Join NIVA’s Board of Directors
RESALE Act establishes a 10% resale price cap, bans speculative ticket sales, increases accountability for professional resellers, and delivers comprehensive consumer protections for live entertainment fans across the District
The Tunney Act Comment Period Is Open. NIVA Calls On Independent Stages, Artists, And Fans To Speak Up.
New Data Highlights Denver Venues’ $1.5 Billion Impact on Economy and Important Role in Supporting Tourism and Jobs
Media Contact: niva@luckybreakpr.comThe National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and its Kentucky Chapter (NIVA Kentucky) have applauded the creation of the Kentucky Governor’s Music Office, announced from the stage at Bourbon & Beyond, calling it the next step in a bipartisan effort to strengthen the state’s music economy.
Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday announced the opening of the Governor’s Office of Music, “a new office dedicated to highlighting Kentucky’s storied music legacy and to supporting Kentucky artists, venues, festivals and music businesses.”
New office will support commonwealth’s music industry and build on its musical legacy
In a new guest column, Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA, and Howie Kapłan, owner of The Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans, expose how speculative listings, fake tickets, hidden sellers and staggering markups exploit fans while taking money from artists, independent venues, and local communities.
The Council of the District of Columbia has unanimously passed the RESALE Act, capping the resale price of live entertainment tickets at 10% above their original face value.
Teetering on the edge of profitability, about a dozen local entertainment spaces are getting a little bit of extra relief.
Washington DC passes a robust consumer protection law for concert fans in the form of the RESALE Act, which establishes a 10% price cap for resellers.
The DC Council unanimously gave final approval to The RESALE Act, landmark legislation that will establish one of the strongest and most comprehensive resale ticketing laws in the nation.
The National Independent Venue Association kicked off its annual conference with the Fix the Tix platform and partnerships with ROSTR, Bandsintown and more.
The 2026 National Independent Venue Association conference kicked off its opening session at the gorgeous Pantages Theatre (built in 1916) in Minneapolis with NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker leading a rather epic and sprawling two-hour session.
New partnerships with Bandsintown, ROSTR, MasterTour, and DoStuff are designed to strengthen the independent live music ecosystem for years.
US venue organisation NIVA has found thousands of misleading websites and URLS which are used by touts to trick consumers into thinking they are buying tickets from official sellers rather than unofficial resellers. NIVA wants state-level officials in the US to crackdown on these deceptive practices.
Announcing the launch, coalition partner NIVA also says it has identified 6,000 deceptive URLs and called on states to bring additional consumer protections
What’s the best way to decommission secondary ticketing scams? Demand refunds, call out resale platforms, and contact lawmakers, according to Fix the Tix, which has launched a “Fan Action Center” designed to help shortchanged customers.
Two former top antitrust attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice who were central to its case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster had strong words for the department following its abrupt settlement with the company just one week after the trial — which saw the DOJ and over 30 states accusing the company of monopolistic business practices — began in March.
Announced at NIVA '26, Fix the Tix launched a new Fan Action Center following reports of the existence of 6,000+ deceptive ticketing websites.