NY Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York announced legislation today meant to regulate the secondary ticketing market. The proposed legislation will require a two-day waiting period between the initial on-sale of tickets at face value and when resellers can place tickets onto secondary sites. The plan would apply to StubHub, TicketsNow, eBay, and several other sites where tickets are resold at elevated prices to fans - often when original tickets are still available.
“The bottom line is we need to create a fair system where fans get first crack at good seats at a reasonable price,” Schumer said of the two-day waiting period. “This is easy and simple to understand, I think we can get this done quickly.” In addition to the waiting period, resellers will need to obtain a federal registration number from the FTC. That number would be posted along with each re-sale on sites to prevent anonymous, fraudulent sales. Schumer plans to introduce the legislation when Congress goes back in session in two weeks. It is hoped that the bill will become law before baseball playoff tickets go on sale.
Schumer’s proposal follows an incredibly public investigation into Ticketmaster’s secondary ticketing practices for a Springsteen New Jersey concert. Customers were directed to Ticketmaster’s site TicketsNow to purchase Springsteen tickets at inflated prices when tickets were still available at face value. Ticketmaster is now facing multiple lawsuits in both the U.S. and Canada for similar allegations.
Ticketmaster is actually backing Schumer’s proposed legislation. “Ticketmaster recognizes that the ticket resale industry needs far-reaching changes to better protect consumers and ensure fair access to tickets,“ says Irving Azoff, CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. in a prepared statement.
As the secondary ticketing market goes through reform, maybe it is time to analyze others aspects of the live entertainment world. For decades, the booking process has remained largely the same. An offer is made by phone, email, or fax. Negotiations slowly volley back and forth until a settlement is finally reached. Contract development then wastes more valuable time and energy. Isn’t there a better way? Check out ArtistForce. Its simple, web-based platform streamlines the entire booking process. Offers, negotiations, and contract development can be managed from the office, backstage, or on the beach. And all communication is tracked in real time. Propose a new solution for live entertainment today - Go to ArtistForce.com!
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