Independent Music and Live Entertainment Industry Urges Senate Commerce Leaders to Strengthen Ticket Act With Complete Fake Ticket Ban, Resale Price Cap, and Full Price Transparency
WASHINGTON, DC (March. 4, 2026) — The Fix the Tix Coalition, a national alliance of music and live event organizations led by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), today sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation urging critical improvements to the House TICKET Act (S. 281).
The letter was addressed to Chairman Ted Cruz, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, Ranking Member John Hickenlooper, and Members of the Senate Commerce Committee.
The coalition’s recommendations come one month after the January 28 hearing before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy examining the TICKET Act and the state of the live event ticketing marketplace. During that hearing, Senators from both parties, artists, venues, and ticketing platform representatives acknowledged that deceptive practices, including speculative ticketing, price gouging, and hidden fees, are eroding trust in the live entertainment industry and harming fans nationwide. And, multiple industry voices expressed issues with the TICKET Act, as written.
“Congress should ban resale above the original total cost of the ticket and cap all resale fees at no more than 10 percent,” the coalition wrote. “Across the country, fans are being priced out of live events not because artists or venues raised prices, but because resale markets allow unlimited markups and excessive fees divorced from any added value or risk.”
In its letter, Fix the Tix calls on Congress to strengthen the TICKET Act in three key ways:
1. Require full, end-to-end price transparency.
The coalition urges Congress to require clear and conspicuous disclosure of the base ticket price and each fee from the moment a ticket is first selected through the completion of the transaction. The letter notes that disclosure at the final checkout page is insufficient and fails to provide fans with meaningful, upfront pricing information.
2. Fully ban “speculative” ticketing without exception.
The coalition calls for a complete prohibition on the sale or advertisement of tickets that the reseller does not have in their actual or constructive possession. So-called “concierge” or “seat saver” schemes, the letter explains, are not legitimate services but deceptive practices that can leave fans holding invalid or nonexistent tickets.
3. Cap resale prices and fees.
Fix the Tix urges Congress to prohibit resale above the original total cost of concert tickets and to cap resale fees at no more than 10 percent of the original total price. The coalition argues that unlimited resale markups fuel speculative purchasing and industrialized scalping, pricing real fans out of live events while diverting revenue away from artists, venues, and local communities.
“When federal policy falls short, fans pay the price,” the coalition wrote. “They lose money, incur unnecessary travel costs, and often blame the artist or venue for problems caused by deceptive resale practices. Meanwhile, speculative sellers assume little risk and face few meaningful consequences.”
The coalition emphasized that while the TICKET Act represents progress, without a complete ban on speculative ticketing, enforceable limits on resale pricing and fees, and robust price transparency throughout the purchasing process, bad actors will continue to exploit gaps in federal law.
The Fix the Tix Coalition is a broad alliance of live event organizations advocating for a fairer ticketing system. Signatories to today’s letter include:
NIVA
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
American Federation of Musicians
Americans for the Arts
Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)
Black Music Action Coalition
Colorado Independent Venue Association (CIVA)
Eventbrite
Fan Alliance
Folk Alliance International
Future of Music Coalition
Music Artists Coalition
Music Managers Forum-US (MMF-US)
Music Venue Alliance Nashville (MVAN)
National Independent Talent Organization (NITO)
National Performance Network
OPERA America
Recording Academy
SAG-AFTRA
Songwriters of North America (SONA)
SoundExchange
Washington Nightlife & Music Association (WANMA)
The coalition reiterated its readiness to work with the Senate Commerce Committee to ensure that final legislation delivers clear, enforceable protections that restore trust in the live event marketplace and reflect the bipartisan intent expressed during the January hearing.
Read the full letter HERE.
ABOUT FIX THE TIX
Fix The Tix is a national advocacy coalition of more than 30 live music and event industry organizations, spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Eventbrite, collectively advocating to fix broken ticketing practices. The organization includes representation from venues, promoters and producers, the performing arts, artists, recorded music, agents, managers, and independent ticketing companies. The coalition represents stakeholders who take on all the risk to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bring joy, employment, and economic impact to communities across America.
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.
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