California Bill Targeting Ticket Resale Scheme Crosses Critical Legislative Hurdle with Overwhelming Support

Assemblymember Haney's AB 1720, the California Fans First Act, restores fairness to the concert and live event ticket market and supports live music venues and touring artists by capping out-of-control ticket resale prices to 10% above face value.

SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) announced that AB 1720, the California Fans First Act, passed out of the Assembly Committee on Arts, Sports, Tourism & Entertainment with a final vote of 6-1, marking a major step forward in the effort to rein in runaway ticket resale prices and protect fans, artists, and independent venues.

"For decades, concert tickets were sold at face value to real fans who wanted to see the artists they loved," said Haney, who chairs the Committee on Downtown Recovery. "But today, professional scalpers and bots buy up tickets in seconds and resell them at massive markups. This bill puts an end to that system and puts the concert experience back where it belongs: with fans and artists."

AB 1720 caps the resale price of concert and live event tickets at no more than 10 percent above face value, targeting large-scale ticket speculation while still allowing reasonable fan-to-fan resale.

While ticketing has moved online, the fundamental promise of live music has not changed. What has changed is the rise of resale platforms that have turned concert tickets into a speculative market. Automated bots and ticket brokers now dominate ticket sales, driving prices far beyond face value without providing any benefit to artists, venues, or fans.

Data shows ticket buyers often pay more than double the original price on the secondary market, with some tickets resold for several times their face value. In one study, tickets with an average face value under $80 were resold for more than $1,000. Artists who intentionally keep ticket prices low to make shows accessible still see thousands of their tickets flipped at markups exceeding 300 percent.

"Concert tickets aren't stocks to be flipped for profit. They're a chance for real fans to see the artists they love," Haney said. "California is the heart of the music industry, and we have a duty to stand with fans, artists, and venues - not speculators and scalpers."

The bill has generated a groundswell of support from independent venues, nonprofit stages, and touring artists across California, who say the current system is undermining both access and the long-term sustainability of live music.

"Artists want fans in the room, not bots and brokers profiting off of music they don't make," said Ron Gubitz, Executive Director of the Music Artists Coalition. "When tickets to live events become a get-rich-quick scheme, fans get priced out. This bill makes sure live music stays about connection and community, not a commodity for brokers to flip."

"Independent venues live and die by the trust we build with our audiences," said Joe Rinaldi, owner of the Music Box San Diego and President of the National Independent Venue Association California Chapter. "When tickets are resold at outrageous prices, it shuts fans out and harms the community spaces that make live music possible. This bill is a critical step toward restoring balance."

The consequences are being felt across California, particularly in downtowns and local music scenes already struggling with declining attendance. When fans overpay for one event, they are less able to support other shows, weakening the broader ecosystem of artists, venues, and small businesses.

AB 1720 allows for reasonable flexibility by permitting modest resale when plans change, while stopping large-scale profiteering that drives up prices and locks fans out. Similar policies in places like the United Kingdom have helped protect consumers and return tickets to fans.

The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Committees on Privacy & Consumer Protection and Judiciary.

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