President Trump delivers a decisive blow to concert ticket scalpers with a new executive order, prompting both industry leaders and fans to celebrate a long-awaited crackdown on predatory pricing practices.
Key Insights
- President Trump’s executive order targets ticket scalpers who use automated bots to purchase large quantities of concert tickets and resell them at exorbitant markups.
- The order directs the Federal Trade Commission and Attorney General to enforce competition laws and ensure price transparency in the live entertainment industry.
- Industry advocates are calling for Congress to pass the bipartisan TICKET Act to further protect consumers from unfair ticketing practices.
- The initiative aims to make arts and entertainment more accessible to everyday Americans by combating exploitative middlemen who drive up prices.
- A progress report on enforcement actions and recommendations for further regulation is required within 180 days.
Trump Takes On Concert Ticket Price Gouging
President Trump signed a sweeping executive order targeting unfair practices in the live entertainment industry, taking direct aim at ticket scalpers who have long frustrated American concertgoers. The directive instructs federal agencies to crack down on companies and individuals who use automated software to purchase large quantities of tickets at face value, only to resell them at vastly inflated prices. This predatory practice has increasingly placed popular concerts and sporting events financially out of reach for average Americans while diverting profits away from performers and venues.
The order prioritizes enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which prohibits the use of automated software to circumvent security measures on ticketing websites. By directing the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to aggressively pursue violators, the administration aims to restore fairness to a market that has grown increasingly exploitative. The Treasury Department has also been instructed to ensure ticket scalpers fully comply with tax laws, closing potential loopholes that may have allowed some operators to avoid proper taxation on their profits.
Industry Support for Anti-Scalping Measures
The presidential directive has garnered widespread support across the entertainment industry. Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, issued a statement backing the initiative: “Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set, and we thank President Trump for taking them head-on. We support any meaningful resale reforms — including more enforcement of the BOTS act, caps on resale prices, and more.” This endorsement from the industry’s largest ticketing platform signals the potential for meaningful impact on current practices.
“America’s live concert and entertainment industry is the envy of the world,” said President Donald J. Trump in the executive order, highlighting the importance of protecting this cultural and economic asset from exploitative practices.
Rock musician Kid Rock, who has been vocal about ticketing reform, remarked on the frustration many music fans face: “Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the past decade, maybe 20 years, no matter what your politics, knows it’s a conundrum. You buy a ticket for $100, by the time you check out it’s $170. But more importantly, these bots, they come in and get all the good tickets to your favorite shows you want to go to. Then they’re re-listed immediately for sometimes a 500 percent markup.”
Consumer Advocates Call for Legislative Action
The National Consumers League (NCL) welcomed the president’s executive order while emphasizing the need for complementary congressional action. The consumer advocacy group is urging lawmakers to pass the bipartisan Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act, which has already passed the House and cleared the Senate Commerce Committee with broad support from both parties.
“For too long, consumers have faced exorbitant prices and deceptive practices when purchasing tickets for live events,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. “This Executive Order is a significant step toward ensuring fairness and transparency in the ticketing marketplace. It provides a clear directive to consumer champions in Congress to swiftly enact the TICKET Act.”
The TICKET Act would implement several key consumer protections, including all-in pricing that shows the full cost up front, prohibition of speculative ticket sales, banning deceptive resale websites, guaranteeing refunds for canceled events, and strengthening enforcement against the use of bots. Federal agencies have been given 180 days to report on actions taken and recommend any additional regulations or legislation that might be necessary to fully address the problem.
