Today, the DC Council debated and gave initial approval to Councilmember Charles Allen’s RESALE Act, voting unanimously on an amendment from Councilmembers Allen and Christina Henderson to restore a 10% cap on how much a live entertainment ticket can be resold for on sites like StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats. This represents a major victory for DC’s vibrant live music and theater scene, which has pushed hard for reforms to the secondhand reseller market driving up costs and leaving fans out in the cold.

“Today, the DC Council stood with DC’s most beloved and iconic music venues, with our storied theaters, and with every music and live theater fan who’s tired of getting ripped off and priced out,” Councilmember Allen said, the author of the RESALE Act. “Ticket resellers have used technology and unrestrained profits to turn our live entertainment scene into the wild west, and people are sick of it. DC’s going to be a leader in this space, but I expect many other jurisdictions to step in once they see we don’t have to put up with these digital scalpers making everything worse and more expensive while siphoning millions of dollars out of the local economy.”

Councilmember Allen introduced the RESALE Act in April 2025 after hearing from many of DC’s most popular independent venues about the fraud and price gouging taking place on the secondhand resale market. The bill also bans the practice of speculative ticket sales - selling tickets that the seller does not actually possess, requires bonding and registration from high-volume resellers, and includes a 10% cap on how much a resold ticket can be sold above its face value. This price cap had been removed during the committee vote on the bill, but the Council restored it today by passing the Allen-Henderson amendment.

The bill, with a price cap included, is supported by 9:30 Club, The Anthem, the Black Cat, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Lincoln Theatre, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Songbyrd, GALA Hispanic Theatre, DC Improv, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, DC Jewish Community Center, Washington Improv Theatre, The Hamilton, I.M.P., The Atlantis, Blues Alley, Union Stage, Howard Theatre, Miracle Theatre, Capital Turnaround, Pearl Street Warehouse, Plaza Stage at Nationals Park, DC9, Comet Ping Pong, Pie Shop, The Pocket, All Good Presents, and U Street Music Hall Presents. 

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