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Concert tickets are notoriously hard to score right now, and predatory practices like dynamic pricing, scalping and speculative tickets sales (aka broker-listed tickets they do not own) only add to the long list of problems making live events even harder—and pricier—to attend.
Enter the Real Tickets, Real Fans Act. A new NC bill was introduced April 27 to improve ticket transparency and protect fans from overpriced or fraudulent tickets, making live events more accessible and affordable.
If passed, the bill—sponsored by Sens. Jay Chaudhuri, Vickie Sawyer and Timothy Moffitt—would require ticket resellers to clearly identify themselves as such, plus ban deceptive language, fake-seat sales and the use of bots to circumvent sales restrictions.
Ticketing troubles, though, aren’t unique to fans—musicians and small event venues backing the bill also face the consequences of scams.
“We’ve got people weeping outside who want to come in… and can’t,” says Heather LaGarde, owner of the Haw River Ballroom. Reduced bar and merch sales (a result of fake tickets prompting low turnout) hit both the venue and the artists incredibly hard, she adds.
Bottom line? Fans, venues and artists concur: The ticketing traps need to stop—and NC lawmakers are leading the charge.
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