Bill to cap ticket resale prices gets public hearing in DC

The D C Council s Community Works and Operations Committee held a community hearing Wednesday on regulation aimed at protecting fans from ticket fraud and price gouging The Resale Amendment Act introduced by Ward Council member Charles Allen and backed by seven other council members would cap ticket resale prices at above face value ban speculative listings and require registration for high-volume resellers Related stories Maryland Renaissance Festival organizers turn on the heat against illegal ticket sales FTC sues Ticketmaster saying it forces fans to pay more for concerts and events DC Council seeks to crack down on ticket brokers and scalpers Local venues say ticket scalpers and bots have distorted the domain making it harder for fans to access shows at fair prices Among those speaking in sponsorship of the bill was Audrey Fix Schaefer with IMP the company behind The Anthem and the Club in D C She recounted the committee these regulations are needed We have tracked at IMP with our four D C venues tickets resold at double face value or higher just so far this year taking billion from D C customers Schaefer announced She also took aim at speculative listings which are tickets posted for resale before they are officially available calling them fake tickets that trick fans into overpaying It s not just deceptive it s fraud Schaefer stated Ron Gubitz executive director at the Music Artists Coalition in D C also voiced promotion saying the bill would help ensure artists and their crews aren t cut out of revenue from inflated resale prices Will Eastman a longtime D C promoter and producer also backed the bill These predatory ticket resellers steal equity from artists They steal equity from venues and promoters who hire the stagehands the bartenders the people who live in D C your constituents Eastman disclosed Pushback came from major resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek who claimed the changes would make customers more susceptible to fraud When legitimate marketplaces are restricted buyers and sellers do move to unregulated spaces like social media Kevin Callahan StubHub s head of North American executive relations noted Joe Freeman vice president of authorities relations at SeatGeek echoed the concern over price caps Do not please deprive consumers concertgoers of choice Consumers are smart Freeman declared Brian Berry of the Ticket Strategy Forum commented resale marketplaces have helped move ticket buying from street corners to secure regulated platforms and that caps could unintentionally drive consumers back to less safe options It was these resale marketplaces that helped move ticket buying from the shady sidewalk exchanges outside of the old MCI Center as I would buy for the Caps games to now a secure regulated and guaranteed online experience Berry declared The bill is subject to further council review No timeline for a vote has been communicated yet Source