Have you heard about this? California has introduced new legislation aimed at cracking down on inflated ticket re-sale prices.
On February 5, state assemblyman Matt Haney introduced a proposal called the California Fans First Act, which would cap re-sold ticket prices at no more than 10 per cent above face value. The bill would apply to concerts, theatre, comedy and other live entertainment events held in California, while excluding sporting events.
If passed, the law would make it illegal to re-sell tickets for more than the original ticket price, including fees, plus a modest 10 per cent markup.
The proposal is currently a “spot bill”, meaning it serves as an initial framework and will require further legal drafting before moving forward.
California would become just the second U.S. state to enforce a ticket re-sale cap, following Maine, which passed similar legislation in 2025. Several other states, including New York, Vermont, Washington and Tennessee, along with Washington, D.C., are considering comparable measures.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the secondary ticketing market. In January, Kid Rock testified before Congress, calling the Live Nation-Ticketmaster model a failure and accusing corporate practices and scalpers of driving up prices with little benefit to artists.
U.S. regulators have also taken legal action, suing Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation in September over alleged illegal ticket re-sale practices that authorities claim have cost consumers millions.
The proposed California bill follows similar action overseas. In the UK, the Labour government confirmed plans in late 2024 to ban ticket re-sales above face value for live music, sports, comedy and theatre events. The policy is expected to save fans an estimated £112 million annually and significantly reduce secondary market fees.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the move, saying: “Time is up for ticket touts,” while confirming that fans will still be allowed to re-sell tickets at face value if they can no longer attend an event.
Do you think something like this could happen here in Canada? Wouldn’t that be great?!
