A major win for artists, fans, and the broader live music community, the RESALE Act establishes some of the strongest consumer protections in the country aimed at addressing abuses in the live entertainment ticket marketplace, including surveillance pricing and speculative ticket listings.
On July 14, the D.C. Council, the legislative body and chief policy-making authority for Washington, D.C., unanimously passed the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Act. The legislation establishes some of the strongest consumer protections in the country aimed at addressing abuses in the live entertainment ticket marketplace. After the legislation successfully clears the required 30-day congressional review period, its provisions will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2027.
The RESALE Act marks a major win for artists, fans, and independent music venues alike. Among its key provisions, the bill requires all-in pricing, bans speculative ticket listings, and mandates licensing and bonding requirements for large-scale ticket resellers. The RESALE Act also places a 10 percent cap on most ticket resale markups, placing Washington, D.C., as one of only three jurisdictions, alongside Maine and Vermont, with such protections. The RESALE Act also bans the emerging practice of "surveillance pricing," which uses a consumer's location, browsing history, and other identifiable online data to influence ticket prices.
The Recording Academy, its Advocacy team, and its Washington, D.C. Chapter have been active supporters of the bill since its introduction in April 2025. Last October, Grammy-nominated artist and D.C. Chapter Governor KOKAYI testified before the Council, emphasizing the harmful impact of unchecked ticket resale practices on both fans and performers. In his testimony, he argued that excessive resale markups put tickets out of reach for audiences and create the false perception that artists benefit from inflated ticket prices when they do not.
Advocacy efforts intensified in the weeks leading up to the vote, which took place on July 14. Last month, Recording Academy Chief Advocacy & Public Policy Officer Todd Dupler joined local venue operators, artists Andrew McMahon and Bartees Strange, representatives from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), and bill sponsor Councilmember Charles Allen at a press conference supporting the RESALE Act. Following the event, the Recording Academy organized a targeted outreach campaign encouraging D.C. Council members to support the bill and to restore the bill's 10 percent resale cap after it had been removed during committee deliberations.
The passage of the RESALE Act, with the 10 percent resale cap intact, represents a significant victory for artists, fans, and the broader live music community. The Recording Academy remains committed to advancing ticketing reforms at both the state and federal levels that create a fairer and more transparent marketplace for music people.
