During a filing service in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at curbing solution killing and introducing” common measures” to the live entertainment ticketing process.
The attempt, which Trump called a “very severe” measure, seeks to protect viewers from inflated prices by targeting “unscrupulous brokers” who impose excessive fees on cards.
Trump was joined by singer Kid Rock, who expressed support for the move, saying it addresses the anger supporters have faced when algorithms scoop up concert tickets and then purchase them at inflated prices. ” Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years – no matter what your politics are – knows that it’s a conundrum”, Kid Rock stated, calling the order” a great first step”.
The executive order directs Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi to ensure that ticket scalpers who resell tickets at inflated prices comply with the Internal Revenue Service’s rules.
Under a 2023 law, e-commerce platforms are required to report to the IRS if sellers earn more than$ 600 from ticket sales. These transactions will be subject to tax forms, possibly resulting in additional taxes for resellers. Additionally, the order tasks the Federal Trade Commission to collaborate with the Attorney General to enforce competition laws and ensure price transparency throughout the ticket-buying process.
Trump’s move follows concerns about ticket scalpers using bots and other unfair methods to acquire tickets at face value and then sell them at a significant markup, sometimes up to 70 times the original price.
” Ticket scalpers use bots and other unfair means to acquire large quantities of face-value tickets, then re-sell them at an enormous markup on the secondary market, price-gouging consumers and depriving fans of the opportunity to see their favorite artists without incurring extraordinary expenses”, the order noted, according to The Guardian.
This issue has been contentious for years, with high-profile incidents like the Ticketmaster scandal during Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, which led to Senate hearings and an antitrust probe by the Biden administration. The Justice Department’s lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, accused them of maintaining an illegal monopoly that drives up ticket prices.
Kid Rock, who stood alongside Trump during the signing, expressed his support for tackling this issue in a bipartisan manner. Wearing a red, rhinestone-studded suit featuring the American flag and eagles, the musician pointed out that Ticketmaster was “on board” with the reforms.
” I want the fans to have fair ticket prices”, Kid Rock said, adding,” There’s plenty of money to go around. Nobody’s going to lose here”. He also urged Congress to pass legislation that would cap resale ticket prices, while jokingly saying,” I’m overpaid and would rather be a hero to working-class people by offering lower-priced tickets to my fans”.
Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He rose to fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a mix of rock, hip-hop, and country music, creating a distinctive sound that garnered a wide audience. Some of his most famous songs include” Bawitdaba”,” Cowboy”, and” All Summer Long”.
In addition to his music career, Kid Rock has also been involved in various business ventures and has made occasional forays into acting. Known for his outspoken and sometimes controversial views, Kid Rock has developed a reputation as a figure who blends elements of rock star persona with a rugged, unapologetic attitude.
