Donald Trump signs executive order against “exploitative ticket scalping” in the US

nme.com:

Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at reforming the concert ticketing industry in the United States.Yesterday (March 31) signed a new directive in the Oval Office with Kid Rock by his side.

The new directive is aimed against “exploitative” ticketing scalping for concerts – an issue not exclusive to the United States.At the Oval Office, Kid Rock campaigned for regulations and legislation to be implemented when it comes to online ticket purchases, citing the “unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive conduct” in the ticket resale market.The the order directs authorities to enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which is a federal law designed to prevent scalpers from buying tickets in bulk using bots in 2016.

Additionally, it instructs US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi to ensure that ticket resellers are entirely compliant with IRS regulations and other laws, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce antitrust laws in the concert industry.The Treasury Department, DOJ and FTC now has 180 days to issue a report outlining the steps planned to stamp out unfair practices in the live entertainment industry.Kid Rock said, campaigning for the executive order to be signed: “Anyone who has bought a concert ticket in the last 20 years, no matter what your politics are, knows it’s a conundrum.

You buy a ticket for $100, by the time you check out it’s $170, you don’t know what you’re charged for. But, more importantly, these bots come in and get all the good tickets to your favourite shows, and they’re re-listed immediately for a 4-500 per cent markup.