Music Organizations Rally Behind NY Ticketing Reform Bills to Protect Fans and Artists

Two influential music industry groups, the Music Artists Coalition (MAC) and the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) have thrown their support behind New York legislative bills A.8659 and S.8221.

These bills aim to overhaul the state’s live event ticketing system—giving artists more control over how their tickets are sold. Their advocacy reflects a growing frustration among artists, venues, and fans over exploitative ticketing practices and excessive fees in the live entertainment industry.

Assembly Bill 8659 and Senate Bill 8221 are designed to address several persistent problems in the ticketing market. This legislation would ban speculative ticketing, requiring resellers to actually own tickets before they list them. It would also cap secondary market ticket mark-up at 25%, curbing extreme resale prices.

The legislation would also empower artists and venues to mandate that resold tickets be offered at face value—including all fees—to ensure fans pay a fair price for access. Finally, ticket resellers in New York would be required to register with the state, adding an additional layer of accountability and oversight.

NITO, which represents independent talent agents and managers, has been vocal in urging lawmakers to pass these bills. IN a public statement, NITO emphasized that speculative ticketing “misleads fans into buying tickets that do not actually exist at the time of purchase, driving artificial scarcity and fueling inflated resale prices.”

The organization also highlights the importance of capping resale prices and fees, noting that “bots and platforms add extreme fees—often over 40% of the ticket price—to already inflated listings.” NITO believes eliminating these practices is essential to restoring integrity to ticket-buying to protect both artists and fans.

Meanwhile, the Music Artists Coalition highlights how speculative tickets hurt fans directly. “What we want is simple: do not interfere with our artists’ relationship with our fans,” their statement begins.

“As musicians, MAC’s members create their art with the hope that it will connect with people. They want their fans to be able to attend shows at a reasonable price that enables them to craft a unique musical experience. They don’t want their fans competing against brokers, or bots, who intercept these tickets and drive up the price, diverting money from fans’ wallets to people who have no involvement whatsoever in the creation of the shows and music.”

“We also want to end the practice of someone selling a ticket that they don’t own. This practice, called speculative ticketing, is unheard of in other industries. How can someone sell something that they do not own? Even before our artists’ tickets are put on sale for the general public, shady resellers are already listing them at inflated prices. Then, often using bots, they go and buy tickets at the face value price and resell them at the inflated price.”

“We’ve heard many stories of fans flying to a show, staying in a hotel, only to get to the ticket scanner and find out that the speculative ticket is not a real ticket. The resellers might offer to refund the money for the ticket, but it doesn’t solve the fan getting shut out from the show. This bill ends speculative ticketing by requiring resellers to actually own tickets or have written contracts before they can sell them. This simple requirement protects fans from fraud and ensures artists can maintain trust with their audiences.”

As the bills move through the legislative process, the unified support from these major music organizations sends a strong message to lawmakers about the urgent need for comprehensive ticketing reform in New York.