The ticket scalping nightmare that’s been emptying wallets across America just got a White House intervention. President Trump signed an executive order on March 31 targeting ticket scalping practices, with musician Kid Rock in attendance dressed in patriotic attire for the Oval Office signing ceremony. The order aims to protect consumers from “exploitive ticket scalping” in the concert and entertainment industry, with the signing event featuring Kid Rock in patriotic attire.
The executive order isn’t just symbolic politics. It directs the Federal Trade Commission to work with the Attorney General to ensure competition laws are enforced in the concert industry and instructs officials to implement the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act—legislation from 2016 designed to prevent scalpers from using automated systems to snap up tickets. The order also demands price transparency throughout the ticket-buying process, addressing those mystery fees that appear at checkout.
Let’s be honest—the live music industry has evolved into a profit paradise where fans have reportedly paid up to 70 times face value for tickets to see major artists like Taylor Swift, Coldplay, or Bad Bunny. Meanwhile, artists get the same paycheck regardless of these inflated resale prices.
Musicians have been fighting this battle for years. Swift’s 2022 tour created widespread ticket access problems, while country artist Zach Bryan released his 2022 album accurately titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster“—a perfect encapsulation of fan frustration.
Trump’s initiative builds on the Biden administration’s earlier efforts to ban hidden “convenience” fees. Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, released a statement supporting “meaningful resale reforms” following the executive order signing. When companies support regulation affecting their industry, it suggests mounting pressure from both consumers and government officials.
The executive order requires federal officials to deliver a report within six months outlining actions taken and recommending additional regulations. The order directs the Treasury Department and Justice Department to ensure ticket scalpers comply with tax laws, tackling the issue from multiple angles.
With America’s live entertainment industry generating $132.6 billion in economic impact and supporting over 900,000 jobs, this regulatory move aims to make concerts accessible without requiring fans to choose between seeing their favorite artist or making rent. Whether this finally solves the Ticketmaster troubles remains to be seen, but it represents a rare moment of bipartisan consumer protection that both sides of the political aisle can appreciate.
