California ticket resale cap bill fails to advance

California's AB 1720, a bill designed to cap the resale price of live entertainment tickets, failed to advance out of the state Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The legislation, introduced by Assembly Member Matt Haney, sought to make it illegal to resell tickets for concerts, theater, or comedy shows at a price exceeding the original face value plus 10%.

During its progression, the bill was amended to limit its scope to venues with a capacity of 3,000 or fewer, which reduced the number of shows covered by the proposed law. The bill had received support from organizations including Live Nation, the National Independent Venue Association, and the Music Artist Coalition.

The legislation faced intense opposition from secondary ticketing platforms. Records indicate that StubHub spent $3.4 million on lobbying efforts in California this year to fight the bill, with $2.6 million of that amount spent in the most recent quarter alone. Following the bill's failure, Haney stated he would continue working with fans, artists, and venues to find solutions to predatory resale practices.