Voters Demand Ticketing Reform including Price Caps, Speculative Ticket Ban
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey of California voters confirms what many have long suspected: the concert ticket resale market is failing both the fans in seats and the artists on stage.
The survey, conducted on behalf of the Music Artists Coalition (MAC), sampled registered voters in California and found overwhelming support for a series of reforms, including several currently pending in the State Legislature.
Key findings:
- CA voters demand price accountability: The resale market has become a predatory marketplace that enriches middlemen while gouging consumers and pulling dollars out of California’s economy. California voters want it stopped. 83% of California voters support a resale ticket price cap, outpacing the 78% national average, and 88% support face value disclosure requirements. It’s no surprise: only 36% of California voters trust resale platforms to provide tickets at fair prices, with an equal share actively distrusting them.
- Voters want a stop to ticket fraud: Artists should control how their tickets are sold. That starts with banning sales from predatory resellers who don’t even own the tickets – a practice called speculative ticketing. 85% of California voters support prohibiting the sale of tickets the seller does not possess, with overwhelming bipartisan backing: 89% of Democrats, 83% of Republicans, and 81% of Independents all agree. 91% also believe resale platforms should be required to verify that sellers possess the tickets they’re listing – a basic accountability measure the resale industry has resisted for too long.
- California voters are more likely to support elected officials who push for reform: Championing a speculative ticket ban makes 70% of California voters more likely to support an elected official – and supporting a price cap moves the needle for 64%.
The demand for reform is grounded in lived experience. Fifty-seven percent of California voters attended a concert or live music event in the past 12 months, and half already expect to pay above face value for a resold ticket. This is a sign that exploitative pricing has become so normalized that fans have simply accepted it as the cost of attendance.
“Artists want their fans in the room at fair prices they set, but the resale system is diverting money away from consumers, venues, and artists as resellers treat tickets like unregulated stocks” said Ron Gubitz, executive director of the Music Artists Coalition. “California voters are sending a clear message that the status quo isn’t working. It’s time for reforms that protect the relationship between artists and their fans, restore trust, and ensure tickets are sold in a way that reflects the intent of the artists on stage.”
MAC represents the artists California fans show up for. When voters are asked who they trust most to advocate for fair ticketing, artists top the list, and MAC is calling on the Legislature to act.
The survey was conducted by Breakwater Strategy on behalf of the Music Artists Coalition. The national sample included n=800 registered voters; the California sample included n=500 registered voters. The survey was conducted February 9-19, 2026.
Media Contact: Kelly Bruce
kelly@breukelenstrategies.com
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SOURCE Music Artists Coalition
