StubHub Is Spending Millions Trying to Stop a Bill That Would Cap Concert Ticket Resale Prices

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It's shelling out more money than Chevron, Verizon, AT&T and OpenAI this quarter to beat California legislation that would limit mark ups to no more than 10 percent more than the original price tag.

StubHub’s lobbying expenses have reached an all-time high in California, as the ticket resale platform has spent millions of dollars over the past few months looking to stop a bill that seeks to place limits on how much concert tickets are allowed to sell for on resale services in the Golden State. 

The company reported nearly $2.6 million in lobbying expenses in California from April to June, per filings reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter. According to the Capitol Morning Report, that makes StubHub the second-largest lobbying spender in the state for the quarter, behind only Pacific Gas & Electric and ahead of the likes of Chevron, Verizon, AT&T and OpenAI, among others. It’s the most StubHub has ever spent on lobbying in any quarter in California, per publicly available documents. Overall, StubHub has spent $3.4 million this calendar year. 

The company’s record spending follows AB 1720, a bill from state assembly member Matt Haney introduced in February that, if passed, would limit concert ticket resale prices to no more than 10 percent higher than a ticket’s original price. Since its introduction, the bill already has been abated with an amendment limiting the law only to smaller 3,000-capacity venues or lower, removing most of the major amphitheater, arena and stadium dates that usually draw much of the activity on secondary ticketing sites.

When asked for comment, StubHub said the platform “exists to give fans access to live events on their own terms through a secure, verified marketplace — including fans who couldn’t get tickets during the original on-sale, or who want the option of grabbing a great deal as prices shift closer to the event.”

“We believe that more choice, flexibility, and access put fans first and help everyone get into the events they love,” StubHub said.

AB 1720 received support from groups representing artists and indie venues including the National Independent Venue Association, the Future of Music Coalition and the Music Artist Coalition. It’s also drawn support from live music giant Live Nation Entertainment, owner of the eponymous concert promoter and the oft-bemoaned Ticketmaster, the primary ticketing provider for most of the major concert venues in the U.S. 

Proponents for price caps argue adding a hard limit on secondary ticketing would be a major step in ending ticket scalping, as brokers would no longer be allowed to list tickets at extreme markups, and thus their profit motive would be taken away. Price cap bills have begun picking up steam over the past several years, particularly as long-held fan outrage over concert ticket prices has grown louder in the 2020s.  

California isn’t the only state that’s considered price caps this year. Maine, Vermont and Washington, D.C. all passed price cap laws in recent months, and Massachusetts governor Maura Healey announced in July that she was placing a price cap law for review in the state’s supplemental spending bill. Noah Kahan was one of dozens of New England acts who voiced his support for the Massachusetts bill, and he appeared over video during Healey’s press conference announcing the law. He also helped get a price cap bill passed in his home state of Vermont.

“The artist community and fans greatly benefit from limiting ticket scalping,” Kahan said last month. “I love my fans and I want to protect them however I can. Artists alone could not tackle the market manipulation of secondary resellers.”