President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at stopping unfair ticket scalping practices in the concert and entertainment industry. The signing took place Monday evening in the Oval Office, with musician Kid Rock joining the president for the occasion.
What Does the Executive Order Do?
The order gives new instructions to major government agencies such as:
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- The Department of Justice (DOJ)
- The Department of the Treasury
These agencies will work together to:
- Enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act
- Take action against unfair and deceptive practices in ticket reselling
- Ensure price transparency when buying tickets, including in the secondary ticketing market
- Make sure ticket scalpers follow tax laws and federal regulations
A report on the results of this action will be submitted within 180 days.
Fighting Back Against Ticket Scalpers
The White House explained that ticket scalping has become a big problem in the U.S. entertainment industry, which contributes $132.6 billion to the national economy and supports over 913,000 jobs.
Scalpers often use automated bots to grab huge numbers of tickets at face value and then resell them at very high prices. Fans are often forced to pay up to 70 times more than the original price just to see their favourite artists.
“These high markups don’t benefit the artist — only the scalpers and ticketing agencies profit,” said a White House official.
Artists and Fans Both Lose Out
Musicians like Kid Rock have long spoken out about the issue. During the signing ceremony, he said:
“Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last 10–20 years knows it’s a mess. You buy a $100 ticket, and at checkout, it’s suddenly $170.”
He also added that artists don’t earn anything extra from those inflated prices. It all goes to middlemen and resellers.
A Campaign Promise Fulfilled
President Trump had earlier promised, during his election campaign, to tackle high ticket prices and make concerts more affordable for everyday Americans.
“This is a big step to getting this stopped,” Trump said after signing the order.
The White House says this move is part of the president’s broader mission to make arts and entertainment accessible to more Americans.
Industry Support for the Order
The executive order has received positive reactions from the entertainment industry. Live Nation, one of the largest concert promoters in the world, issued a statement:
“Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set. We thank President Trump for taking them head-on.”
Live Nation’s CEO, Michael Rapino, also thanked both Trump and Kid Rock on X (formerly Twitter) for acting against ticket scalping.