(The Center Square) – A new “Taylor Swift” bill proposed in Michigan would combat ticket resale schemes seen during the artist’s recent Erasu tour, but ticket bot operators could face problems.
House Bill 5661-5662 would allow the Attorney General’s Office to impose fines of $5,000 per ticket on anyone who violates the ticket purchase limit.
The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Graham Filler of Duplain Township and Democrat Rep. Mike McFall of Hazel Park.
“This affects everyone who goes out and buys a ticket,” McFall said.
“Families go out and buy tickets, but they can’t afford it because the tickets are being sold at such high prices on resale sites that they are out of reach for families.”
After passing the House Committee on Regulatory Reform, the bill will move to the full House.
If passed, the bill would follow a recent Arizona bill signed by Governor Katie Hobbs in April.
“The goal is to stop these unfair practices and make tickets accessible and affordable for everyone in Michigan,” Filler said.
“Our plan takes a needed step toward fairness and transparency, ensuring people can attend the events they love without being ripped off. Making our state a great place to host events will also boost tourism, attracting more people to our festivals and events and ultimately strengthening our economy.”
meanwhile Ticketmaster has apologized. Regarding last year’s scalping issue, questions are still being raised as to what is being done to prevent future incidents like the Eras Tour, where tickets sold out in just minutes, largely due to scalping bots.
“The exploitation and greed that has plagued event ticketing for too long needs to end,” Filler said.
“Our plan directly attacks the heart of malicious ticket bots, which rob fans of the opportunity to see their favorite artists and drive ticket prices to exorbitant levels.”
