President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting price gouging in the concert ticket industry, potentially offering relief to music fans who have faced high resale prices for live events.
The order, signed in the Oval Office on March 31, 2025, directs federal agencies to address ticket scalping practices in the entertainment industry, which notably affected Taylor Swift fans during her Eras Tour.
“It bothers a lot of other artists. They go out with a $100 ticket, and it sells for $2,000 the following night,” Trump said of the issue, according to CNN, adding that “it is a big problem.”
The executive order targets “unscrupulous middlemen” who impose excessive fees in the entertainment industry, harming fans while not benefiting artists. It tasks the Federal Trade Commission to enforce competition laws, ensure price transparency, and take action against unfair practices in the secondary ticketing market.
The Treasury Department and Department of Justice are directed to ensure ticket scalpers comply with tax laws and regulations. The order calls for the enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which prohibits using automated software to bypass security measures on ticket sales websites.
Rock artist Kid Rock attended the signing ceremony, supporting the measure and urging Congress to pass legislation capping resale ticket prices.
The ticketing industry faced scrutiny after the chaotic presale for Swift’s Eras Tour in November 2022. Millions of fans encountered website crashes, long wait times, and disappearing tickets. The public sale was canceled due to insufficient inventory.
Ticketmaster apologized for the mess, stating, “We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets. We feel we owe it to everyone to share some information to help explain what happened.”
The company explained that high demand and a lack of sufficient ticket inventory led to the cancellation of the public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, which was scheduled for the following day.
Swift expressed frustration over the situation, noting that while 2.4 million fans secured tickets, she was working on improving the process in the future.
The ticketing issues led to a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company, and prompted a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2023 to examine competition in the live entertainment ticketing industry.
In May 2024, the Justice Department and state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, alleging industry dominance. The lawsuit accused the company of operating an “illegal monopoly,” driving up ticket prices.
Live Nation supported Trump’s executive order and called for additional resale reforms, including enforcing the 2016 BOTS Act and capping resale prices.
The ticketing issues highlighted by the Eras Tour intensified. Recently, two individuals, Tyrone Rose and Shamara P. Simmons, were arrested and charged with stealing over 900 concert tickets, including many for Swift’s Eras Tour, by exploiting a vulnerability in StubHub’s system and reselling them at inflated prices, making over $600,000 in profit.
The Eras Tour has been a significant cultural and economic event, grossing over $1 billion and contributing approximately $4.3 billion to the U.S. GDP. The average initial ticket price was $204, but secondary market prices averaged $1,652, with some resale prices reaching as high as $30,000.
Under the executive order, federal officials must submit a report within 180 days detailing actions taken and recommendations for additional regulations or legislation to protect consumers in the live entertainment industry.
The move marks a rare alignment point between Trump and Swift, who has criticized the secondary market that allows tickets intended for fans at face value to appear on resale sites at inflated prices.
For many concert-goers, particularly Swift’s dedicated fanbase, the executive order could offer hope for more accessible and fairly priced tickets to future tours. As implementation begins, both the industry and consumers will watch closely to assess the effectiveness of the measures in addressing ticket scalping and price gouging issues in the live entertainment market.
