Fix The Tix Launches Fan Action Center To Combat Predatory Ticket Resale and Empower Fans Nationwide
New Digital Hub Gives Fans Tools to Request Refunds, Contact Lawmakers, and Share Live Event Ticketing Experiences in Real Time
NIVA Sends Letter to State Attorneys General Identifying Over 6,000 Deceptive Ticketing URLs That Must Be Stopped
(June 8, 2026) — Today, Fix the Tix, the coalition championing fan-first, artist-friendly ticketing reform across the country on behalf of every major music and live performance constituency, and Fan Alliance, launches the Fix the Tix Fan Action Center, a new digital hub designed to help live entertainment fans take immediate action when they encounter misleading, fraudulent, or exploitative ticket resale practices.
Across the country, fans routinely deal with the fallout of a broken resale system, unknowingly arriving at venues with invalid tickets, paying far above face value, or navigating confusing and deceptive listings. The Fan Action Center provides a clear, centralized resource, empowering fans to respond immediately, bringing accountability to the resale platforms and policies enabling and driving these issues.
This morning, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) also announced that it has identified 6,000 deceptive ticketing URLs and websites that appear to impersonate legitimate artists, venues, festivals, and tours while directing consumers to secondary ticket resale sites. NIVA sent a letter to state Attorneys General offices nationwide urging investigations into potential violations of consumer protection and deceptive trade practices laws, and specifically highlighted 14 states with explicit prohibitions on deceptive ticketing websites or URLs.
NIVA also called on StubHub, TicketNetwork, Viagogo (owner of Stubhub), Concerts50, TicketSqueeze, and BigStub to immediately terminate affiliate and seller accounts for scalpers using deceptive websites or URLs that link to their platform and cease the operation of their affiliate program until they can effectively ban and police any and all affiliate sellers from using deceptive websites and URLs to sell tickets for their platforms and profit off of that deception.
“Fans shouldn’t have to navigate a system stacked against them just to see live music,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association and Chair of Fix the Tix. “Our discovery of 6,000 deceptive ticketing websites and URLs offers a troubling window into the scale of consumer deception occurring across the ticket resale marketplace. The Fan Action Center gives fans the tools they need to take action when they confront issues like these, whether that’s pursuing a refund, reporting fraud, contacting consumer protection enforcement, policymakers, or sharing their experience, while helping build momentum for meaningful reform.”
“We regularly hear from fans who show up excited for a concert only to find out their ticket isn't real, or who spend hundreds more than they should because they were misled by a deceptive website,” said Donald Cohen, Executive Director of the Fan Alliance. “Now, they'll have a way to share their story, pursue available remedies, and lift up their voices to better protect fans nationwide."
The launch comes as lawmakers at both the state and federal levels continue to examine deceptive ticketing practices, speculative ticket listings, excessive resale markups, and consumer protections in the live event marketplace.
“Live music brings people together, but too often fans are being ripped off before they even get through the door. Whether it's speculative ticket listings, outrageous markups, or misleading resale practices, consumers deserve better,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “The Fix the Tix Fan Action Center gives people the tools to stand up for themselves, report abuses, and make their voices heard. By turning frustration into action, we're helping build momentum for a ticketing system that is transparent, fair, and puts fans first.”
Designed for real-time use, the Fan Action Center will be promoted at independent venues and festivals nationwide through QR codes displayed at box offices and distributed via staff handouts. Through the Fan Action Center, fans can:
Request a refund directly from ticket resale platforms
Contact local, state, and federal consumer protection and policymakers with customizable advocacy messages
Share their experience on social media to raise awareness and hold bad actors accountable
Learn how to avoid deceptive ticket listings and safely purchase tickets in the future
The platform also educates fans about common predatory resale tactics, including speculative ticket listings (tickets that the person offering the tickets does not have), price gouging, and impersonation of official ticketing sites, while encouraging safer purchasing through primary ticketing channels. Independent venues, often the front line for frustrated fans, will now have a constructive way to respond in real time, redirecting frustration into action.
The Fan Action Center launch builds on the broader Fix the Tix mission, which advocates for stronger consumer protections at the local, state, and federal levels, including all-in pricing transparency, restrictions on speculative ticketing, and safeguards against excessive resale markups - including ticket resale price caps.
By turning individual fan experiences into collective advocacy, the Fan Action Center aims to drive systemic change and create a fairer and more transparent ticketing ecosystem.
To learn more or access the Fan Action Center, visit: https://www.fixthetix.org/
ABOUT NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of live entertainment. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits, advocacy on the state, local, and federal levels, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, the largest arts investment in U.S. history.
NIVA is committed to equity in its support of independent stages. It seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.
CONTACT
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