WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — A coalition of artists, city officials, local venues, and national independent music organizations has united to announce plans for new legislation targeting legalized scalping in the secondary ticketing market.
The proposed legislation, known as the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Amendment Act of 2025, seeks to rein in the secondary ticketing market in Washington, D.C., by instituting a range of limitations and new requirements on the industry.
The proposed regulations include a price cap on tickets resold on platforms such as StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats; a ban on speculative ticket sales; and a requirement for individuals and businesses selling more than 50 tickets annually to register with the District.
Other measures include increased transparency in ticket listings on secondary platforms, a more consumer-friendly ticket transfer process, and a mandate that both ticket issuers and secondary exchanges maintain reasonable protections against scalpers attempting to bypass security measures.
Civil penalties could reach up to $5,000 per ticket for a first violation and $10,000 per ticket for second and subsequent violations of the RESALE Amendment Act.
The legislation was announced during a special event at The Anthem on Tuesday, attended by D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen, along with representatives from stakeholders including I.M.P., 30 local venues, and music industry organizations such as the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).
The event also featured Washington-based artist CJ Johnson of Oh He Dead, and representatives from the Office of the D.C. Attorney General.
“Right now, people who want to go to a live show in D.C. are competing against companies and scalpers who make a lot of money by immediately scooping up as many tickets as possible and reselling them at a much higher cost than the venue or performer is asking,” said Councilmember Allen. “A $40 ticket could end up reselling for over $1,000. The result is that fewer fans can afford to see their favorite artists at one of the amazing venues D.C. has to offer. These middlemen are making millions by driving up prices, with the profit exclusively going to the scalper and never to the artist or venue. They aren’t performing. They aren’t running a venue. They’re just making it all more expensive.”
“Washington, DC has the opportunity to stop deception and price gouging in ticketing across the nation’s capital,” said Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association Stephen Parker. “NIVA will do everything possible to help the DC Council enshrine the RESALE Act of 2025 into law this year and fully protect consumers in the District from predatory resale practices.”
“We want fans to be able to buy real tickets at the price the artists set, not get deceived and fleeced by scalpers,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, Director of Communications for I.M.P. “The RESALE Act, when signed into law, will protect consumers from price gouging, allowing them to go to more shows, which is good for the artists, our venues, and the city. I believe the Office of the Attorney General takes this seriously, and considering the proposed fines, I think the scalpers and the platforms that host them will take this seriously, too.”
The bill is being co-introduced by Councilmembers Robert White, Kenyan McDuffie, Zachary Parker, Christina Henderson, Brianne Nadeau, Janeese Lewis George, and Matt Frumin.
