Multiple prominent New England recording artists have signed a letter supporting proposed Massachusetts legislation designed to regulate the secondary ticket market. The artists, including Noah Kahan, Aimee Mann, The Pixies, Goose, and Dropkick Murphys, issued the statement Wednesday in support of “The Great Divide” Act, announced by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey a week earlier.
The proposed legislation would limit resale prices to 110 percent of the original face value, meaning a ticket originally sold for $100 could only be resold for $110. The bill also targets secondary ticketing site fees and would eliminate speculative ticketing, a practice where brokers list tickets they do not yet own. The 16 artist signatories argue that ticket scalping exploits fans financially and damages the relationship between performers and their supporters.
Kahan has emerged as a vocal advocate for ticket reform initiatives. Beyond the Massachusetts bill, he has lent support to recently enacted ticketing legislation in Vermont. The Massachusetts proposal has also garnered backing from industry organizations including the Music Artist Coalition, the National Independent Talent Organization, and the Future of Music Coalition. Ron Gubitz, Executive Director of the Music Artists Coalition, stated that the legislation represents a clear standard against large-scale ticket resale operations.
The Massachusetts effort reflects a broader nationwide movement to address ticket scalping. Maine introduced resale price caps in the previous year, while California and New York proposed similar measures during the current year. Washington, D.C., approved comparable price cap restrictions in the week prior to this announcement.
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