Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Consumer Protection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ticketing reform bill paused as venues press on over resale harms
Summary
ArtsWA commissioners and local venue operators described how ticket resellers divert patrons and inflate prices. The Washington Access and Venue Equity (WAVE) bill was paused for the short session; staff and commissioners plan interim outreach and possible agency or governor-level strategies ahead of the next biennial session.
The Washington State Arts Commission on Feb. 20 heard venue operators describe how secondary-market sellers are diverting patrons and driving up prices, and was told the WAVE (Washington Access and Venue Equity) ticketing reform bill was paused for the current short legislative session.
Charlie Robin, CEO of the Capitol Theater Committee in Yakima, said resellers produce listings that look like they come from the venue and place them higher on search results, costing patrons access and local organizations revenue. "We regularly are being... having our patrons assaulted with the ticket offers that look like they hit our website," Robin said, describing examples where $29 tickets were re-sold for $150 and $64 tickets for $500.
Karen Ann, ArtsWA’s executive director, told commissioners that Senator Lovett, prime sponsor of the bill, "decided that given that there was some opposition... there wasn't enough time to complete the process this session," and paused the proposal to avoid a rushed outcome. Commissioners said opposition from resellers such as StubHub and industry consolidation (Ticketmaster/Live Nation) shaped the conversation in committee.
Staff and commissioners outlined next steps: a planning period this spring and summer for stakeholder listening sessions, technical fixes and outreach to better understand opposition arguments. Commissioners also noted a carve-out in the bill for small-scale sellers: "if you're selling 10 tickets or less per year, this doesn't qualify," a staff presenter said, underscoring the sponsors' intent to target large-scale commercial resellers rather than individual ticket-sellers.
While the short-session pause means no immediate legislative change, commissioners said the issue will remain a priority. ArtsWA staff suggested an interim push to review the bill language, pursue an agency-request option (which would require a fiscal note and executive signoff) and explore administrative levers with the governor's office and attorney general to enforce existing consumer protections where possible. The commission plans coordinated advocacy work and outreach to venues and patrons ahead of the next full session.
