House action on AM radio, ticket-buying bots and music tourism could affect broadcasters, concertgoers, artists and communities nationwide.

Congress moved three music-related measures forward during a consequential week on Capitol Hill, addressing issues that reach from vehicle dashboards and online ticket sales to international travel centered on American music.

The House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and the American Music Tourism Act on Sept. 15. One day later, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the MAIN Event Ticketing Act.

Although all three measures intersect with the music business, they take different approaches. The AM radio and ticketing proposals would impose new requirements on private companies, while the tourism legislation would direct federal resources toward promoting music-related travel and its economic benefits.

Music Tourism Bill Heads to the President

The American Music Tourism Act was the first of the three measures to clear the House.

Passed as S. 195, the legislation directs the National Travel and Tourism Office within the Commerce Department to promote travel to American concert venues, music festivals and other music-related destinations. It also calls for the agency to report on its efforts after one year.

Because the Senate previously approved the measure, its passage in the House sent it to the president for consideration.

The legislation treats music tourism as an economic-development opportunity. Increased international attendance at concerts, festivals and culturally significant music destinations could generate revenue for hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and locally owned businesses surrounding those attractions.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee said the measure is intended to encourage domestic and international travel to U.S. music attractions and performance venues.

House Moves to Preserve AM Radio in Vehicles

The House also passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a bipartisan measure that would require manufacturers and importers to provide access to AM radio in new passenger vehicles.

The proposal responds to decisions by some automakers to remove AM receivers, particularly from electric vehicles. Broadcasters and public-safety advocates maintain that AM remains an important part of the country’s emergency communications infrastructure, especially in rural areas and during disasters that disrupt cellular or internet service.

Under the legislation, the Department of Transportation would be directed to establish the applicable vehicle requirements. The measure would take effect one year after becoming law.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House had taken “a major step toward keeping AM radio in every new vehicle,” citing its role in distributing emergency warnings and broadcasting news and entertainment.

The bill now awaits action in the Senate, where its companion measure has accumulated broad bipartisan support.

For broadcasters, the legislation would preserve a major source of in-car listening at a time when dashboards increasingly favor streaming platforms, satellite services and proprietary digital systems.

Ticketing Bill Targets Bots and Bulk Purchases

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the MAIN Event Ticketing Act on Sept. 16, moving the proposal closer to consideration by the full House.

The legislation would strengthen the federal Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016, commonly known as the BOTS Act.

Online ticket sellers would be required to use technological safeguards to enforce posted purchase limits. Platforms would also have to report instances in which their security systems were circumvented.

Companies violating the proposed requirements could face civil penalties of at least $10,000 for each day a violation continued.

The proposal addresses a persistent problem for fans and performers: automated systems that purchase large quantities of tickets before ordinary consumers can complete their transactions. Those tickets may then appear on resale platforms at substantially higher prices.

A Senate companion measure, S. 196, has advanced through the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee but has not received a final Senate vote.

Three Measures, Three Regulatory Approaches

Together, the bills illustrate how Congress is approaching technological and economic changes across the music industry.

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act seeks to preserve access to a longstanding broadcast technology as automakers redesign the listening experience inside new vehicles.

The MAIN Event Ticketing Act takes the opposite technological approach. It attempts to modernize federal enforcement as bots and other automated tools become more sophisticated.

The American Music Tourism Act focuses less on regulation and more on economic development. Its objective is to use federal tourism infrastructure to encourage international visitors to spend money at American music venues, festivals and cultural destinations.

The proposals could consequently affect several interconnected sectors, including broadcasting, automobile manufacturing, ticketing, live entertainment, tourism and hospitality.

Other Music Legislation Remains Pending

Several other proposals affecting artists, consumers and music companies remain before Congress.

The Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act, commonly called the TICKET Act, would establish consumer protections governing ticket prices and fees. The measure passed the House but remains pending in the Senate.

The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, or RAP Act, seeks to limit the use of an artist’s lyrics and other creative works as evidence in criminal and civil proceedings.

The American Music Fairness Act would require terrestrial AM and FM stations to pay public-performance royalties to performers and sound-recording copyright owners. Terrestrial broadcasters currently pay royalties to songwriters and publishers but generally do not pay a separate sound-recording performance royalty for traditional over-the-air broadcasts.

Neither proposal has completed the legislative process.

The latest activity does not resolve every policy debate confronting the music business, but it places three long-discussed issues closer to federal action. For artists, broadcasters, live-event companies and audiences, the next steps in Washington could determine how music is heard, marketed and purchased across the United States.

Reporting credit: This article is based in part on original reporting by Rebecca Auburn for Digital Music News, with additional reporting, verification and editorial context by Jaro Magazine.