President Trump was signing an executive order Monday that he says will help curb ticket scalping and bring "commonsense" changes to the way live entertainment events are priced. Designed to stop "price-gouging by middlemen," the order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure that scalpers offering tickets at higher prices than their face value comply with all Internal Revenue Service rules, according to a fact sheet released by the White House, the AP reports.
It also orders the Federal Trade Commission to ensure "price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process" and to "take enforcement action to prevent unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive conduct in the secondary ticketing market," which the Trump administration argues can restore sensibility and order to the ticket market. "America's live concert and entertainment industry has a total nationwide economic impact of $132.6 billion and supports 913,000 jobs," the fact sheet said, per the AP. "But it has become blighted by unscrupulous middle-men who impose egregious fees on fans with no benefit to artists."
The push marks a rare instance of policy crossover with the administration of Democratic President Biden, which used the FTC to target "junk fees," levies tacked on at the end of the purchase process that can mask the full price of things like concert tickets, hotel rooms, and utility bills. Under Biden, the Justice Department also sued Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, last year. It accused them of running an illegal monopoly over live events and asked a court to break up the system that squelches competition and drives up prices for fans.
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