Pointing to thousands of resale-platform listings for allegedly fake Oasis tickets, NIVA is once again urging Congress to pass the Fans First Act. Photo Credit: National Independent Venue Association
Citing an influx of allegedly “fake tickets” to Oasis’ North American stops, NIVA is urging congressional approval of the Fans First Act, which it says will address “deceptive practices perpetuated by predatory ticket brokers and resale platforms.”
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) just recently entreated senators from both sides of the aisle to enact related reforms, pointing specifically to the Fans First Act as a possible solution. That bipartisan bill surfaced towards 2023’s end and received a renewed public push from multiple artists this past April.
In other words, though the relevant legislation isn’t exactly new, the alleged influx of higher-priced Oasis tickets on secondary platforms represents another opportunity to advocate on behalf of the Fans First Act.
As used here, “fake” refers mainly to speculative tickets. NIVA’s letter is dated October 2nd, and Oasis’ North American pre-sale didn’t kick off until today, ahead of a general on-sale tomorrow.
But even before the pre-sale, NIVA found “at least 9,000 fake tickets on sale” through the likes of StubHub and Vivid Seats, per the letter to lawmakers. These findings, the organization spelled out, preceded “evidence of a single ticket going on sale to the public.”
(As a pertinent aside, amid ticket-price complaints and regulatory scrutiny across the pond, Oasis isn’t utilizing Dynamic Pricing for the North American dates.)
The “egregious” alleged examples of fake tickets include 4,354 such passes on StubHub and approximately 3,450 passes on Vivid Seats, all identified between 8 PM and 11 PM ET on October 1st. Hundreds (and potentially thousands) more fake tickets were allegedly listed soon after Oasis yesterday announced four additional shows.
Leaving no stone unturned, the letter features as exhibits a number of screenshots that appear to show the appropriate Oasis tickets, complete with seemingly hefty resale price tags.
Meanwhile, NIVA also took aim at “messaging on Vivid Seats sharing misinformation with fans” – referring to an alleged indication that “‘1% of tickets [were] left’” even before the pre-sale – and took a shot at Live Nation to boot.
The letter, NIVA wrote on the Live Nation front, “is not a defense of the publicly-traded, multinational conglomerate that’s promoting the tour, as they are under legal scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice and 40 state attorneys general.”
As to where things go from here, the entity is calling for a Senate Commerce Committee hearing centering “on predatory ticket practices, including the sale of speculative tickets,” as well as the previously mentioned passage of the Fans First Act in “a comprehensive year-end legislative package to reform ticketing practices.”
If NIVA gets its wish, the latter package would undoubtedly include the fast-moving TICKET Act, which is now awaiting a Senate vote after passing the House in May.
