US President Donald Trump signed an executive order clamping down on ticket touting and live event pricing, with American entertainer Kid Rock at his side.
The order is said to have sought to prevent unscrupulous middlemen from profiting off reselling tickets for concerts and other events at an enormous mark-up.
It mandates the US Attorney General and the Treasury Secretary to use all legal means to stamp out soaring price gouging, and calls on the Federal Trade Commission to ensure price transparency at all
stages of the ticket-purchase process, including the secondary ticketing market.
“You can buy a ticket for $100. By the time you check out, it’s $170,” Kid Rock said.
The “Born Free” singer, who appeared with Trump on the presidential campaign trail in 2024, added that due to “bots” tickets were being re-listed for sometimes a 400-500 per cent mark-up.
The administration of Joe Biden also targeted touts, suing concert booking website Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment last year over monopoly allegations.
In a statement, Live Nation, which has denied monopoly allegations, said it supports Trump’s order, and called for enforcement.
