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Senate Commerce Hearing Shows Bipartisan Momentum for Ticketing Reforms, Including Ban on Speculative Sales
Summary
Senators and witnesses at a Commerce subcommittee hearing voiced broad support for upfront pricing, a ban on speculative/ghost tickets and stronger BOTS Act enforcement; artists and independent venues urged subpoenas of ticketing contracts while platforms described technical defenses against bots.
A Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on online ticketing on Jan. 30 featured bipartisan calls for stronger consumer protections, including codifying “all‑in” pricing, banning speculative or “ghost” tickets and tightening enforcement of the BOTS Act. Chairwoman Blackburn framed the session as a response to fans who watch tickets vanish and reappear on resale sites at far higher prices.
Witnesses included artist Robert Ritchie (Kid Rock), Dan Wall, executive vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs at Live Nation, Brian Berry, executive director of the Ticket Policy Forum, and David Weingarten of the Colorado Independent Venue Association. Ritchie told the committee that “no artist should be forced to sell…
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