Venue operators and consumers tell Vermont committee a 10% resale cap can curb predatory ticketing

Committee chair convened the Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee hearing to begin consideration of H.512, a bill that would regulate the event ticketing marketplace and cap reseller markups. Witnesses told the committee that predatory resellers and automated buying tools have priced fans out of live events and eroded venues’ connections with customers.

Lauren Wayne, president of State Theater Presents in Portland, Maine, said she strongly supports H.512 and described Maine’s recent LD 913 as a blueprint. "I'm here today to strongly support Vermont House Bill 512's proposed ticketing legislation, but really particularly the provision that caps resale at 10% above face value," Wayne said, adding that since Maine’s law she has seen "a drastic decrease of bot usage" and more tickets reaching "actual fans at the intended price." She told the committee the law treats a ticket as a revocable license tied to terms set by the artist and issuer rather than as an open financial instrument.

Wayne cautioned the committee about language and enforcement: she said Maine’s original intent was a 10% cap on the ticket's total face value plus original fees, but that, "the attorney general's working with the governor's office to make sure that the language is cleaned up." Committee members asked whether Maine’s law applies to tickets for shows sold outside the state; Wayne said it applies only to tickets for events in Maine and noted that consumers are often unaware of jurisdictional limits when buying on third‑party platforms.

Marina Cole, a registered voter from Wheelock, told the committee how she bought tickets from an online reseller, paid $421.58 for two seats and later discovered the tickets bore another person's name and a lower face value. Cole said she ultimately bought replacement tickets from the venue and that the venue manager, Janelle Soren of the Paramount Theater, refunded the second purchase and reseated them. "It was heartbreakingly common," Cole said of venues dealing with customers who bought invalid or misrepresented tickets. She urged lawmakers to adopt protections that prevent Vermonters from being scammed and to lessen financial hits taken by small venues.

Susan Evan McClure, executive director of the Vermont Arts Council, urged the committee to weigh testimony from venues and artists, noting touring artists have pressed for fair ticket marketplaces and that nontransferable tickets have still appeared on resale sites. An artist who identified themself as Nila Khan offered brief recorded support for H.512 and said the bill matters to fans and artists alike.

Committee members pressed witnesses on several practical issues, including how tickets leave a venue’s control, the prevalence of "spec" listings (resale ads before tickets exist), distinctions between individual sellers and industrial resellers, cross‑state enforcement limits, and the need for clear statutory language. Wayne advised the committee to consult venue operators and the National Independent Venue Association when refining statutory language and enforcement mechanisms.

No formal votes were recorded at the hearing. The committee chair said the panel will take up the matter again next week.