President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday designed to protect fans from ticket gouging practices and bring reform to the U.S. live entertainment ticketing sector.
The order, signed in the Oval Office, directed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce competition laws within the concert and entertainment industries, CNN reported.
During the signing, Trump was accompanied by singer Kid Rock, who was seen sporting a patriotic American flag-themed outfit.
The order, while primarily aimed at cracking down on scalpers who use bots to purchase large quantities of tickets and resell them at inflated prices, also intended to maintain transparency in ticket pricing, ensuring consumers were aware of the full cost at every stage of the buying process.
“I’ve spoken to him over the years about it and it bothers him,” Trump said about Kid Rock while signing the executive order. “It bothers a lot of other artists. They go out with a $100 ticket, and it sells for $2,000 the following night.”
Kid Rock pointed out that the use of automated bots by scalpers was making it harder for fans to purchase tickets at reasonable prices, reported Reuters.
The executive order directs key officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, to ensure full compliance with the tax laws and other regulations regarding ticket scalping.
Stronger action on bots and ticket reselling
Trump’s order focuses on bolstering the enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, a law passed in 2016. The act gives FTC the authority to take action against individuals and companies that use bots to bulk-buy concert tickets and sell them at inflated prices.
Speaking on the issue, Trump admitted that he wasn’t initially aware of the extent of price gouging, but noted that it was indeed a serious problem.
He also encouraged Kid Rock to share his thoughts on the matter.
“I want the fans to have fair ticket prices,” Kid Rock, whose real name was Robert James Ritchie, said, adding that a legislation would help cap ticket purchases. “I’d like to take my ticket price lower, but if I set my ticket prices low, these bots immediately eat them up and they resell for hundreds of dollars more and I’m just making these bad actors rich.”
Public backlash against Ticketmaster
The issue of price gouging became a national conversation during Taylor Swift’s 2022 Eras Tour, when resale prices for tickets soared into the tens of thousands of dollars. It sparked outrage, particularly against Ticketmaster, the largest ticketing service in the U.S., with critics accusing the company of monopolistic practices and exploiting fans.
In response, the Justice Department, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, filed an antitrust lawsuit last year against Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, alleging abuse of market power to the detriment of consumers.
Industry leaders back order
Live Nation Entertainment expressed support for the new executive order, thanking President Trump for addressing the issue of scalpers and bot activity in the ticketing industry.
“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,” the firm stated.
A dominant player in the U.S. concert ticket market, Ticketmaster holds over 70% of the market share for primary ticket sales at major venues.
A $132.6 billion industry
The live entertainment sector is a major part of the U.S. economy, with a total nationwide economic impact of $132.6 billion, supporting nearly 913,000 jobs, according to 2019 data from Oxford Economics.
Trump’s executive order complements efforts by the former Biden administration to tackle unfair practices in ticketing. In December, the FTC under former President Joe Biden introduced a rule to eliminate hidden fees, such as “convenience” or “service” fees, added to ticket prices at checkout.
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