46 NITO independent music Agents & Managers lead fair ticketing fight
The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) has announced an aggressive nine-point platform of changes needed to reform concert ticketing, and 46 independent booking agencies and management companies have signed a pledge to work to implement it.
“A broken ticket-buying experience now overshadows tour announcements, and at some point, fans will say enough is enough,” said NITO Ticketing Task Force Chairman Nathaniel Marro of Entourage Talent Associates. ” Between outrageous fees and scalpers, it’s harder than ever to buy a ticket at the price the artist sets.”
“Excessive ticketing surcharges and the secondary market represent a direct threat to a healthy live music business community,” said NITO President Frank Riley of High Road Touring.
At a time when concert ticketing is front and center in Washington, DC, state legislatures, and the media, NITO is demanding nine changes that will protect the thousands of musicians represented by member companies and the tens of millions of fans that support them.
The NITO Ticketing Platform
- Itemized All-In Ticketing, where the fees are clearly separated from the face value of the ticket
- Fee transparency, wherein all fees are clearly listed and included on each and every offer sheet
- A cap on ticket fees
- Fan-to-Fan face value transfer with no additional fees
- The right for the Artist and/or Artist’s rep to control the terms of resale on their own tickets
- A ban on speculative ticketing on the secondary market
- A ban on primary ticketing platforms taking place in and profiting from secondary market sales
- The ability for artists and their representatives to access their own ticket buyer data for their use
- Stronger laws and enforcement to end ticketing bots
The 46 NITO member independent management companies and booking agencies that have pledged to work to implement the platform include (in alphabetical order): Arrival Artists, Artisan Agency, Ashley Talent International, Big Fish Booking Company, Bonfire Touring, Cass Clayton Music, Ceremony Music Group, ComboPlate Booking, Concerted Efforts, Core Entertainment, Crossover Touring, Cumberland Music, Distance Management, Entourage Talent Associates, Fenway Recordings, Force Media Management, Fort William Management, Ground Control Touring, High Road Touring, Intrepid Artists International, The Kurland Agency, Leafy Green Booking, Leave Home Booking, Lobel Arts, Lytle Management Group, Madison House, Magnus Talent Agency, Manage This!, Mongrel Music, Musical Concepts, New Frontier Touring, Nimbleslick Entertainment, Nine Mile, Paladin Artists, Partisan Arts, Patrick Rains and Associates, Pinnacle Entertainment, RajiWorld, Skyline Artists Agency, Sound Talent Group, SRO Artists, The Mark Spector Company, This Is Management, TKO, TT Management, and Upward Spiral Music.
“The artists and not just the industry are speaking out about this issue; it’s a cause that fans want to support and be more informed about., said NITO Executive Board Member Ami Spishock of Fort William Artist Management. “It seems to be at a tipping point for needed transparency and change.”
“The magic of the live concert is in that unique moment when fans can experience a deep, in-person connection with their favorite artist,” said NITO Executive Board Member Michel Vega, CEO of Magnus Media, “Unfortunately, the very beginning of that concert-going experience – the ticket buying process itself – has become a very distasteful transaction. In that regard, we as an industry are neglecting the fans, who are the very ones that put food on everyone’s table.”
Formed in the early days of the pandemic, NITO successfully lobbied alongside the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and other stakeholders to help secure $16.5 billion in Shuttered Venue Operating Grants for independent music agents and managers, as well as independent music venues, performing arts centers, museums, etc.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
