AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills signed into law Wednesday a proposal aimed at increasing transparency for concert ticket prices following debates that touched on a broader dispute between Ticketmaster and StubHub.
The measure from Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, initially sought to prevent sellers of concert and entertainment event tickets from not allowing buyers to transfer tickets to a third party. But an amendment from Rep. Cassie Julia, D-Waterville, took out the prohibition on transfer limits and instead added consumer protections, such as requiring ticket resellers to disclose fees up front, banning the use of fake websites and bots that circumvent online ticket limits and prohibiting resellers from adding more than 10 percent to the original ticket price.
Mills spokesperson Ben Goodman confirmed the Democratic governor signed the proposal Wednesday after each chamber had passed it mostly along party lines but with a few members bucking their own parties. For example, Rep. Arthur Mingo, R-Calais, was the lone House Republican to back it while House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, stood out in opposing it. Four Republican senators joined their Democratic colleagues in voting for it.
The new law will take effect in 90 days. The initial proposal to remove transfer limits drew opposition from independent venues and local groups, such as the State Theatre and Portland Symphony Orchestra, while StubHub and a national consumer group backed it. Local venues argued the initial plan would only benefit large resale platforms while not cracking down on scalpers. StubHub said it would help fight against a resale “monopoly” enjoyed by Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last year it is suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster for “monopolizing markets across the live concert industry.” StubHub and Live Nation have clashed for years over differing opinions on ticketing legislation and resale policies.
Live Nation, based in California, praised the amended proposal for banning “predatory speculative ticketing that scams fans and ensures all-in pricing across the purchase process so fans know the exact price of the ticket” up front.
“If passed, Maine will have some of the strongest pro fan and artist policies in the nation,” the firm said earlier this year.
StubHub, headquartered in New York, continued to oppose Daughtry’s amended bill that Mills signed into law, saying it “rewarded the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly while putting fans at risk.” Dave Garriepy, the company’s senior government affairs manager, also criticized the “artificial price caps that will drive buyers to unsafe, unregulated sites where scams flourish.”
“We urge the state to rethink this law to protect Maine fans,” Garriepy said Wednesday.
But Daughtry said earlier this year the amended proposal was needed in light of controversies surrounding concerts, such as scams with tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. She said her measure would “guarantee that consumers are not left in a lurch.”
“We must take action to ensure that our constituents have a clear understanding of what they are paying for from the outset,” Daughtry said.
