Bipartisan Momentum Builds As California Advances Nation-Leading Ticketing Reforms
AB 1720 establishes a 10% resale cap, while AB 1349 targets fraudulent ticketing practices – together advancing pro-consumer protections that hold multi-billion dollar platforms like StubHub and Live Nation accountable.
WASHINGTON, DC (March 26, 2026) — The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is proud to help architect two landmark California bills advancing with strong bipartisan momentum – AB 1720 and AB 1349 – positioning California as the national leader in protecting fans, artists, and independent venues from unfair ticketing practices. NIVA thanks Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) for their leadership in advancing meaningful, pro-consumer reforms.
AB 1720 establishes a 10% cap on ticket resale prices, inclusive of fees, for concerts and live entertainment events. The bill would curb price gouging and disincentivize bad actors from targeting California’s fans. Alongside a growing number of bills advancing across the country, AB 1720 reflects increasing momentum behind resale price caps as a critical policy solution.
The recent U.S. Senate ticketing report this month reinforces this approach, exposing how market players incentivize inflated resale prices at the expense of fans and how resale caps can rein in Live Nation’s resale practices.
In parallel, AB 1349 advances complementary consumer protections by targeting some of the most deceptive practices in the ticketing marketplace. The bill bans speculative ticketing, where tickets are listed for sale without being owned or in their possession, and includes strong provisions to crack down on misleading websites that impersonate venues, deceptive URLs that redirect fans away from primary sellers, and the use of bots to manipulate ticket availability.
AB 1349 has already passed the Assembly Floor by a unanimous 66-0 bipartisan vote and is now pending referral for a committee hearing in the Senate. AB 1720 is expected to move forward during a hearing on April 7th before the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee.
“AB 1720 and AB 1349 together set a clear standard for what a pro-consumer ticketing marketplace should look like,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA. “Across the country, multi-billion dollar resale platforms and the front groups they fund work to preserve a black market system that price gouges fans and relies on deception. These bills directly target those practices, capping excessive resale prices and cracking down on speculative listings and misleading platforms. We are confident Assemblymembers Haney and Bryan are leading California toward a marketplace that truly protects fans and small businesses, and we thank them for their leadership.”
“We are proud to support and champion AB 1720 and AB 1349 and are committed to working closely with Assemblymembers Haney and Bryan to get them across the finish line,” said Joe Rinaldi, President of the California Chapter of NIVA and owner/operator of the MusicBox San Diego. “These bills are truly about protecting our venues, our artists, and the fans who make live entertainment possible.”
For years, online ticketing platforms, bots, and large-scale resellers have turned ticketing into a speculative marketplace – pricing out fans while extracting outsized profits, with little benefit flowing back to artists, venues, or workers.
AB 1720 restores balance by capping resale prices, while AB 1349 cracks down on speculative listings, deceptive platforms, and bot-driven manipulation – ensuring tickets are sold fairly and transparently.
Together, the bills keep more value within the system, supporting the artists, workers, and independent venues that sustain California’s live entertainment economy.
ABOUT NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of live entertainment. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits, advocacy on the state, local, and federal levels, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, the largest arts investment in U.S. history.
NIVA is committed to equity in its support of independent stages. It seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.
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