Maryland lawmakers take aim at ticket scalpers

New bill in Maryland seeks to crack down on ticket resale market

Maryland lawmakers are looking to pull the plug on skyrocketing resale ticket costs, but some ticket companies are pushing back. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald has the story.

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Whether it’s Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, or Usher – there’s no shortage of fan complaints about secondary market ticket prices.

Now, Maryland lawmakers are looking to pull the plug on skyrocketing costs, but some ticket companies are pushing back.

If you’ve ever tried to buy a resold ticket to a concert, show, or sporting event - this affects you.

The Maryland State Senate is considering a bill that wouldn’t eliminate price hikes for resold tickets but would put what they call reasonable limits on how much resellers can charge.

The bill says resold tickets can’t be sold for more than the original price, and caps fees at 10%. It also bans "speculative tickets," in which ticket companies offer tickets for sale they don’t even have yet.

Proposed bill seeks to crack down on ticket resale market

Maryland lawmakers are introducing a bill that clamps down how much second-party ticket resellers can turn a ticket around for.

Audrey Fix Schaefer of Merriwether Post Pavillion told FOX 5 that some after-market tickets at her venue have jumped by thousands of dollars. But ticket brokers testified in Annapolis that the market should determine the price.

"They really care about it," Fix Schaefer said. "They want a fair chance to get a ticket and not get pushed out by bots. They want a chance to buy a ticket at face value as they should and not get schemed and scammed by others."

"I can say this from personal experience, if my NBA team makes the finals this year, I am willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money to go see them play," said Joe Freeman of SeatGeek, a mobile-focused ticket platform. "If my wife or my granddaughter wants to see the next hot concert, I’m probably unfortunately going to have to pay."

Tips for buying concert & event tickets abroad

Entertainment and media expert Seth Schachner discusses tips for buying concert and event tickets abroad after Ticketmaster paused the sale of Taylor Swift's concert in France.

Merriwether Post Pavillion officials told FOX 5 that after-market prices for their 2024 season are already sky-high.

Hozier set his ticket price at $99, yet tickets are listed on StubHub for more than $24,697. Mitski tickets are up to $12,526. They were originally $125. And Alanis Morrisette tickets first listed at $125, are now being sold for $3,446.

Anne Arundel County Senator Dawn Gile, who’s sponsoring this ticket resale bill, told FOX 5, the House version of this bill has a hearing in Annapolis on Tuesday, but time is running out.

The General Assembly’s 2024 session ends on April 8.