Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market

The order directs the Attorney General and the FTC to enforce competition laws in the concert and entertainment industry, with specific attention to venues and ticketing agents whose conduct harms artists and fans. It instructs the FTC to rigorously enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, collaborate with state attorneys general on joint enforcement, pursue price-transparency rules at all stages of the ticket-buying process including the secondary market, and evaluate whether to take enforcement action against unfair or deceptive conduct by resellers. It also directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General to verify that ticket scalpers are complying with federal tax law.

The order does not itself change any law, ban any conduct outright, or impose new legal obligations on ticketing companies or consumers. Any concrete regulatory change depends on future FTC rulemaking. A standard severability clause specifies the order creates no individually enforceable rights against the federal government.

Ticket scalpers, secondary-market ticketing platforms, primary ticketing agents, and concert venues are the primary targets. Fans who purchase tickets on primary and secondary markets, and musical artists whose revenue is affected by resale markets, are the intended beneficiaries.

Fans who pay steep markups to see live events could see greater price transparency and fewer bot-driven bulk purchases if enforcement actions follow. Artists whose works are resold for large markups without their share of profit may also benefit, though actual impact depends on future agency action and any rulemaking.

The FTC leads most implementation: enforcing the BOTS Act, coordinating with state consumer protection offices, and deciding whether to open a price-transparency rulemaking. The Attorney General handles antitrust enforcement and tax-compliance checks alongside Treasury. All three principals must jointly report to White House economic advisers and OMB within 180 days, including any regulatory or legislative recommendations. There are no automatic enforcement triggers — each step requires agency discretion and, for new rules, a full notice-and-comment rulemaking process.