Community leaders are calling on lawmakers to help improve ticket sales regulations.
Groups including the local chapters of the NAACP, the National Action Network and the Buffalo Urban League are advocating for legislation that cracks down on what they call ticket monopolies by Ticketmaster and LiveNation, which control almost all live-event sales in the U.S.
Reverend Mark Blue, president of the NAACP’s Buffalo chapter, believes measures like price caps are ineffective, instead hurting fans and performers.
“They don't lower prices, they increase fraud and they further empower Ticketmaster's monopoly. We are standing against them," he said. "We want them to allow the African-American and minority artists full reciprocity for the work and for their craft.”
Ticketmaster has held a major stake in the ticketing market for decades.
One successful retaliatory effort was when the band Pearl Jam started boycotting the company in the mid-1990s, though it meant they had to book tour venues that were not owned or partnered with Ticketmaster.
Pilgrim Baptist Church Pastor Frank Bostic has experience as a Gospel recording artist. Allowing smaller groups to have a hand in the sales market could prevent price hikes, he said.
“You see people standing outside scalping tickets. There's a reason for them doing it," Bostic said. "Sometimes, some are overpriced, sometimes they can't get access. And the way things are going now, you're going to see a great jump in tickets.”
While the organizations have started pooling resources, they are still working on a plan before reaching out to any state or federal politicians.
