Poll Finds Broad, Bipartisan Support for Ticketing Reform including Resale Price Caps, Speculative Ticket Ban
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A new national survey confirms what many have long suspected: the concert ticket resale market is failing the fans in seats and the artists on stage.
The survey, conducted on behalf of the Music Artists Coalition (MAC), sampled 800 registered voters nationwide and found overwhelming, bipartisan support for a series of reforms currently under consideration in statehouses and Congress.
Key findings:
- Voters nationwide demand price accountability: The resale market has become a predatory marketplace that enriches middlemen while gouging consumers – and voters want it stopped. 78% of voters nationally support a resale price cap, and 85% support face value disclosure requirements. Just 40% of voters trust resale platforms to provide tickets at fair prices – a minority position that underscores how skeptical fans have become of the secondary market.
- Voters want a stop to ticket fraud: Artists should control how their tickets are sold – and that starts with banning sales from scalpers who don’t even own the tickets. 83% of voters nationally support prohibiting the sale of tickets the seller does not possess. 88% believe resale platforms should be required to verify that sellers actually possess the tickets they’re listing – a basic accountability measure the resale industry has resisted for too long. Opposition is virtually nonexistent.
- Voters are more likely to support elected officials who push for reform: Championing a speculative ticket ban makes 68% of voters more likely to support an elected official. Supporting a resale price cap moves the needle for 60%. For voters, these issues are mainstream, bipartisan priorities with direct electoral consequences.
The demand for reform is grounded in lived experience. One in seven American concertgoers reports having been scammed when purchasing tickets. The most common problems: difficulty getting refunds for canceled or rescheduled events (22%), receiving tickets in the wrong section (13%), and purchasing outright fake tickets (11%). 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. “Voters nationwide 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 fans across America 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 lawmakers to act.
The survey was conducted by Breakwater Strategy on behalf of the Music Artists Coalition among n=800 registered voters nationwide. The survey was conducted February 9-19, 2026.
Media Contact: Kelly Bruce
kelly@breukelenstrategies.com
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SOURCE Music Artists Coalition
