Trump Signs Executive Order to End Ticket ‘Price-Gouging by Middlemen’ in the Entertainment Industry

Photo Credit: Kid Rock by Eva Rinaldi / CC by 2.0

Trump invited Kid Rock to the White House for the signing of an executive order aimed at curbing ticket scalping in the entertainment industry.President Trump signed an executive order on Monday designed to “stop price-gouging by middlemen,” and to “bring common sense” changes to the way events are priced in the live entertainment industry. Kid Rock, a long-time supporter of the president, was invited to the Oval Office for the signing.

“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,” said Kid Rock.

“You can buy a ticket for $100. By the time you check out, it’s $170. You don’t know what you’ve been charged for,” he continued. “But more importantly, the bots, you know, they come in, they get all the good tickets to your favorite shows you want to go to, and then they’re re-listed immediately for sometimes 400-500% markup.”

Kid Rock added that Trump’s order is a “great first step,” but that he would eventually like to see a cap on resale prices on tickets.

The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to enforce any scalpers offering tickets at higher than face value to comply with all IRS bylaws. Further, it orders the FTC to ensure “price transparency at all stages of the ticket-purchase process,” and to “take enforcement action to prevent unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive conduct in the secondary ticketing market.”The executive order is primarily directed at federal agencies to enforce laws that already exist to curb scalping. But the move is not dissimilar to one performed by the last president, Joe Biden, who used the FTC to focus on “junk fees” added onto ticket prices at checkout.

Live Nation applauded the new executive order with a statement on Monday evening that “scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set, and we thank President Trump for taking them head-on.” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino also thanked Trump and Kid Rock in a statement on social media.

The Department of Justice sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster last year under the Biden administration, accusing the companies of antitrust violations in the live event industry. That case is still ongoing under the Trump administration.