NIVA Addresses New Partnerships, Ticket Scalping, and More at 2026 Conference

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) hosted its fifth annual conference in Minneapolis this year. At the weekend-long event, the organization shared numerous updates on how it will continue to support independent live music as well as information about its own future. See key takeaways below:

New partnerships:

• NIVA announced partnerships and initiatives with several major players in the music industry, such as ROSTR, Bandsintown, MasterTour, and DoStuff.

• ROSTR will launch ROSTR Venues, a directory specifically highlighting NIVA venues with the Certified Live Independent seal.

• Bandsintown will introduce the Live Pulse Survey to regularly monitor the state of indie venues via data points such as RSVPs within its platform.

• MasterTour and DoStuff will also include the Certified Live Independent seal on their UI.

• NIVA and Bandsintown are collaborating on Live Independent Month and Live Independent Day to raise awareness and increase access to indie venues.

Boulder 2027:

• Next year, the NIVA conference will take place in Boulder, CO.

• The dates are June 27–July 1, 2027.

• Registration is now open.

Deceptive URLs:

• In a letter to State Attorneys General, NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker addressed deceptive URLs, which have become a growing concern in ticket scalping.

• NIVA and its peers in the live space have discovered 6,000 URLs and websites posing as official venue or artist websites.

• These websites will link to secondhand sites such as StubHub and TicketNetwork, where prices are significantly over face value.

• The letter urged the states to enforce current legislation against these deceptive practices and investigate the websites directly.

• It also called upon the ticket vendors to ban these scalpers and close the affiliate program until it can be properly monitored for fraudulent activity.

Fix the Tix Fan Action Center:

• Fix the Tix, an organization focused on ticket sale reform, teamed up with Fan Alliance to launch the Fix the Tix Fan Action Center.

• This platform is a digital hub designed to provide immediate assistance to fans who have been the victim of fraudulent ticketing practices.