NY Ticket Resale Bill Stalls, Sparking Industry Backlash

State legislation designed to curtail the exploits of ticket resellers in New York has been temporarily halted until next year, with existing ticketing laws extended to June 2026.

The bills in question:

• As per Digital Music News, the New York Senate’s original ticketing bill, S.8221, and Assembly Bill A8659, were designed to establish refund rights and restrict speculative ticketing.

• They also included some “artist controls on resale, as well as a cap on ticket fees in larger venues.”

• The bills were endorsed by the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) and the Music Artists Coalition, which comprises board members such as Irving Azoff, John Silva and Don Henley.

The fallout:

• Fair ticketing proponent and artist manager Randy Nichols is quoted by Digital Music News decrying the postponement of the bills, stating they “would have protected fans – not scalpers – by capping predatory fees, banning speculative ticket listings, and giving artists more control over how their tickets are resold.”

• He added: “Unfortunately, legislative leadership caved to pressure from the powerful, private equity-backed, multi-billion dollar ticket scalping industry and their well-funded lobbyists.”