Live Nation and MAC Rally Around California’s Anti-Scalping Bill

Photo Credit: Music Artists Coalition

Immediately following the news of California’s proposed Fans First Act, support rolls in from Live Nation and industry allies, including NIVA and the Music Artists Coalition.

On February 5, California Assemblymember Matt Haney introduced AB 1720, the “Fans First Act,” positioned to crack down on price gouging on the secondary market by capping resale prices at no more than 10% above face value. Now, support from the industry is already pouring in, starting with the Music Artists Coalition—and Live Nation.

“Artists want fans in the room, not bots and brokers profiting off of music they don’t make,” said Ron Gubitz, Executive Director of the Music Artists Coalition (MAC). “When tickets to live events become a get-rich-quick scheme, fans get priced out. Concert tickets shouldn’t be auction items. This bill makes sure live music stays about connection and community, not some commodity for brokers to flip for profit.”

“Independent venues and nonprofit stages live and die by the trust we build with our audiences and the artists we host. When tickets are resold at outrageous prices, it shuts fans out, it undermines artists’ intentions, and harms the community spaces that give musicians a place to grow,” said Joe Rinaldi, President of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) California Chapter and Owner & Managing Partner of The Music Box in San Diego.

“These rooms are where tomorrow’s headliners get their start, and they are also vital small businesses and economic contributors in communities across the state. Capping ticket resales is doing right for artists, fans, and the independent venues and nonprofit stages that make California’s live music culture possible.”

“We applaud California Assemblymember Matt Haney’s efforts to protect concert fans and artists,” said Live Nation in a post to its newsroom. “AB 1720 targets a core problem in live music: predatory resale sites that profit from excessive markups and manufactured scarcity.”

In its infancy, the legislation is largely a placeholder, but will eventually be rewritten to firmly establish that ticket resale in California is capped at no more than 10% above the original face value price. It also will notably only be enforced on tickets to concerts, festivals, theatrical performances, and comedy shows—meaning sports tickets will not be impacted.

It makes sense that Live Nation is quick to throw its support behind the bill; it works well in tandem with the live events giant’s broader push for reform in the resale industry. Such legislation supports Live Nation’s narrative that “bots” and “scalpers” are the problem—certainly not any sort of dynamic pricing scheme or alleged monopolistic control of the primary market.

But the broader support for the proposed legislation across the state signals that even in its early stages, AB 1720 could serve as a great vehicle to steer the regulatory gaze more pointedly toward the secondary market. The timing is important, given the multiple lawsuits facing Live Nation/Ticketmaster, including the massive federal antitrust trial due to begin in New York this spring.