Sacramento Democrats are pushing a pair of “consumer protection” ticketing bills — but critics say thereal winner could be the same powerhousealready accused of dominating the market: Live Nation.
Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan and Matt Haney aretouting their proposals as a crackdown on shady ticket sales. Both measures, however, are backed by Live Nation — the parent company of Ticketmaster — raising eyebrows across the industry.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Just this week, a federal jury in New York found Live Nation illegally acted as a monopoly, a case pursued in part by Rob Bonta. Now, with penalties looming, the company is backing legislation critics warn could tighten its grip even further.
Opponents aren’t buying the “consumer protection” pitch.
“The state Legislature should really be standing up for consumers instead of advancing bills that are there to help a monopoly that has been caught on record calling its fans stupid and has bragged about robbing them blind,” said Jose Barrera, national vice president for the far west region at the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Rival resale platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats are sounding the alarm — and spending big to fight back — warning the bills could kneecap competition.
“Passing laws that hand the Ticketmaster monopoly more power and don’t actually make tickets more affordable is the last thing California’s leaders should do,” Jack Sterne, StubHub’s head of policy communicationstold CalMatters.
At the center of the fight is Bryan’s bill, which would ban the sale of speculative tickets — listings for seats sellers don’t actually own. Supporters insist it’s about stopping price gouging.
Essentially it would mean a $100 ticket could not legally be resold for more than $110.
But skeptics say it could hand Live Nation unprecedented control over tickets even after they’re sold.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
