The TICKET Act has been effectively halted following intervention from Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who demanded multiple rounds of spending cuts last week.

The bill, which previously passed in the House of Representatives, aimed to increase ticket pricing transparency and ban speculative ticketing in the United States. However, its progress was stopped in the Senate after Trump and his advisors, including Musk, called for additional spending reductions.

Two revised spending bills were presented to the Senate on December 19 and 20, both excluding the TICKET Act. The first was rejected by 38 Republicans and Democrats, while the second passed but still omitted the legislation.

Key provisions of the TICKET Act included:

• Mandatory all-in pricing display at point of sale
• Ban on speculative ticket sales
• FTC enforcement against scalper bots

Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA, criticized the bill saying, "While their efforts were well-meaning, the TICKET Act would have taken us backwards. Consumers deserve a real ban on speculative ticketing, not one with a loophole that renders it ineffective."

This development coincides with the FTC's recent ban on "junk fees" for concert tickets, requiring platforms to display all mandatory fees upfront during purchase.

The ticketing industry faces scrutiny internationally, with the UK launching an investigation into "dynamic pricing" following controversy over Ticketmaster's surge pricing for the Oasis reunion tour.

Related Articles

Previous Articles