Scott Friedman Lays Out Four Fixes for Ticketing Industry
Ticketing expert Scott Friedman is calling for four concrete changes he says would reform how live-event tickets are sold and resold in the US, following the Justice Department’s ruling and settlement in its antitrust case targeting Live Nation’s alleged monopoly power. Friedman argued that the public conversation should shift from debating the settlement terms to focusing on enforceable rules that affect how tickets move through primary and secondary markets.
In a post reacting to the outcome, Scott Friedman outlined what he described as a “perfect world” for distributed ticketing, beginning with universal verification before a resale listing is allowed to go live on any secondary platform. He said that eliminating “no spec” listings—where sellers list tickets they do not yet possess—would reduce fraud, prevent phantom inventory from distorting prices, and make it easier for fans to know whether an offer is legitimate.
Friedman’s second proposal targets high-volume purchasing: he said resellers should be limited to buying four tickets per account under current Federal Trade Commission rules, framing the cap as a way to reduce bulk acquisition that can starve regular fans of inventory at face value. He also called for stricter handling of business-to-business ticket transfers, arguing that once a ticket is sold, it should be delivered immediately and that platforms should not be able to cancel tickets after B2B transactions, a practice he suggested creates instability and leaves buyers exposed close to showtime.
Beyond marketplace rules, Friedman’s fourth point was very bold, calling for the arrest of StubHub co-founder Eric Baker and for the shutdown of StubHub, alleging wrongdoing that harmed resellers. Ticketing economics have been a hot button issue in recent years, and Alternative Nation previously reported how Taylor Swift’s tour put new scrutiny on secondary-market practices as demand and pricing surged.
While the DOJ’s Live Nation case has focused attention on consolidation and competition in concert promotion and ticketing, Friedman’s list showcases some ideas that would radically change the ticketing industry (and land a guy in jail). Whether policymakers pursue those measures will likely depend on how aggressively regulators and lawmakers choose to act in the wake of the ruling, and how much pressure continues from fans and artists who want clearer, more predictable rules.
