Billie Eilish, Green Day, Sia Among 250-Plus Artists Backing Bill That Would Reform Live Event Ticketing

Carly Thomas
·2-min read

More than 250 artists, including Billie Eilish, Green Day, Sia and Cyndi Lauper, signed a letter Thursday urging the Senate Commerce Committee to support a bill that would reform the ticketing system for live events.

The Fans First Act, which was initially introduced in December by Sens. John Cornyn, Amy Klobuchar, Marsha Blackburn, Peter Welch, Roger Wicker and Ben Ray Lujan, aims to address flaws in the current live event ticketing system. The bill hopes to increase transparency in ticket sales, protect consumers from fake or overpriced tickets, and hold those who engage in illegal ticket sale practices accountable.

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“As artists and members of the music community, we rely on touring for our livelihood, and we value music fans above all else,” the letter said in part. “We are joining together to say that the current system is broken: predatory resellers and secondary platforms engage in deceptive ticketing practices to inflate ticket prices and deprive fans of the chance to see their favorite artists at a fair price.”

Fix the Tix, a national advocacy coalition of live event industry organizations, spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association and Eventbrite, organized the letter, which was also signed by Finneas, Dave Matthews, Lorde, Train, Fall Out Boy, Graham Nash, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Becky G, Julia Michaels, Major Lazer, Julien Baker, Chappell Roan, Ben Folds, Diplo and more.

“It is clear that everyone in the live event ecosystem, from artists, to venues, to fans, demand comprehensive ticketing reform and consumer protection against the predatory ticket resale practices that have deeply afflicted live entertainment in the United States,” Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, wrote in a statement.

“Fix the Tix is proud to deliver this critical call to action from artists whose fans experience the injustices of the resale market every show,” he continued. “We hope their message resonates with Congress, as officials elected to protect their constituents and as Americans who simply love music. The time for comprehensive ticketing reform is now.”

The legislation follows other bills introduced in recent years that aimed to combat unfair ticketing practices, including the Boss and Swift Act, TICKET Act and Unlock Ticketing Markets Act.

Frustrations with the ticketing industry have recently grown, notably after consumers experienced errors and long wait times when trying to purchase tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2022, leading to an investigation by the Department of Justice and a lawsuit from fans.

On an earnings call in May last year, Joe Berchtold, CFO of Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, said the company was supportive of the bills and viewed the legislation as helpful to the ticketing business.

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