Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market
Federal Government Orders Actions to Curb Ticket Scalping Practices
What it does
Agencies must enforce competition and consumer laws, ensure price transparency, investigate secondary ticket markets, and confirm scalpers' tax compliance.
Real-world impact
- May reduce ticket markups and increase affordable access for concertgoers.
- Leads to federal and state investigations and enforcement against ticketing firms.
- Could require clear price disclosures and new rules for secondary ticket sales.
Topics
Summary
This order directs federal authorities to stop unfair middlemen in the live concert market who use bots and resale practices to charge extreme markups and block fans from affordable tickets. It instructs the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce competition and consumer laws, and the FTC to enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales Act and pursue clearer price disclosure, including in the resale market.
The order also asks the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the FTC chair to report within 180 days on actions taken and to recommend any needed regulations or legislation.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”