Ticket Resellers Are Inflating the Cost of Live Music and Sports by $11 Billion, New Vanderbilt Report Shows
Corporate Middlemen Driving Live Entertainment Further Out Of Reach For Many Americans; Report Proposes Limiting Ticket Resale To Face Value And Capping Service Fees At 10%
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) supports the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator (VPA), released today, providing details about exorbitant ticket resale prices. Below is a statement from Stephen Parker, Executive Director, NIVA. VPA report linked here.
(August 25, 2026) –Exorbitant ticket resale prices have dominated recent news headlines surrounding live music and sports events, including Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2026 NBA playoffs–with even upper deck seats in massive arenas listed on ticket broker sites for hundreds or thousands of dollars over face value. But it’s not just major cultural events: tickets for many concerts and games are scooped up en masse on platforms like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and SeatGeek, with the costs then dramatically inflated, solely for the purpose of reselling.
A new white paper released today by the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator (VPA), headquartered next to Nashville’s Music Row, shows that corporate resellers and online ticketing platforms are inflating the cost of live events by $11 billion every year, and recommends policy solutions to make entertainment more affordable and accessible to everyday consumers.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) today voiced its support for the VPA report. Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA, issued the following statement:
"Vanderbilt has given Congress, governors, state legislators, and attorneys general the most convincing evidence we've seen that resale price gouging has to be reined in. This report uncovers that fans and consumers lose $12 on the resale market for every $1 that scalper advocacy groups claim they save. That is shocking, and it calls for action. Protecting fans with ticket resale price gouging regulations, allowing for resale at the original ticket price or less, is the future of resale in America."
The full VPA report is linked here.
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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