The Ticket Act, a proposed bill aimed at increasing transparency in the ticketing industry and banning speculative ticketing practices, has been stalled in Congress following interference from Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Initially passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, the bill sought to require ticket sellers, both primary and secondary, to disclose all-in pricing (including fees) before checkout and to prevent resellers from selling tickets they do not actually possess.
However, just days before the bill was set to pass in the Senate as part of a continuing resolution spending bill, Trump and Musk, alongside advisor Vivek Ramaswamy, successfully pushed for its removal.
The site’s troubles began earlier, with the personal data of many users being hacked, the sentencing of former TicketMaster executive and an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice.
According to Consequence, they argued that the Ticket Act did not align with their priorities and instead advocated for more spending cuts. Despite support from Republican leadership, the revised spending bill, which was backed by Trump, excluded the Ticket Act and a vote on the proposal ultimately failed.
With the beginnings of the act in Massachusetts, the Ticket Act’s exclusion came after a series of political negotiations and in the face of opposition from stakeholders such as Live Nation/Ticketmaster, who were reportedly more comfortable with the incoming Trump administration’s stance on ticketing practices.
While the bill stalls, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently introduced new rule requiring that all mandatory fees be displayed upfront during the purchasing process. Despite the Ticket Act’s setback, advocates for reform remain hopeful that future legislation will tackle ticketing transparency without loopholes.
Leave a Comment