Gov. Janet Mills has signed a new law that's intended to protect Maine consumers from predatory live event ticketing practices.
Some independent music and arts venues say it offers some of the strongest protections from deceptive resale practices in the country.
The law will impose a 10% price cap on tickets that are resold for events at a Maine venue.
The measure also prohibits the use of online bots, which are often used by scalpers to scoop up large numbers of tickets and resell them at inflated prices.
"What we have been experiencing at the State Theatre for the last couple of years has been a huge struggle against these billion-dollar companies who are investing millions of dollars in bot technology," said Lauren Wayne of State Theatre Presents.
The venue often turns away concert-goers, especially for high-demand shows, who have inadvertently purchased counterfeit tickets. But moving forward, Wayne said consumers will have more protections.
The new law, for example, will prohibit the sale of a ticket that a seller does not have in hand. It will also require refunds to buyers who purchase a counterfeit or undelivered ticket. In addition, the measure requires that the price of the ticket, including all mandatory fees, be clearly advertised.
The National Independent Music Association, which represents venues around the country, said the Maine law should serve as a model for Congress and other states.
"We've never seen a ticketing bill I don't think anywhere do this much, and I think the most important piece of this is the resale cap," said Stephen Parker, NIVA's executive director. "This is not the first resale caps in the country, but this is one of the first resale caps in the country that ties violation of it to fines."
Maine's attorney general will enforce the new law and treat violations as unfair trade practices.
Resale platforms such as StubHub have said that the law will undercut consumers' ability to buy and sell tickets freely. They also argue that the new measure will push out secondary ticket markets, benefiting live entertainment giant Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster and Live Nation are being sued by the U.S. Justice Department and attorneys general from 40 states, who accuse the companies of monopolizing the concert industry, from artists promotion and touring deals, to ticketing and merchandise.
Groups such as NIVA are pushing the U.S. Justice Department to continue its anti-trust lawsuit Ticketmaster, and they argue that the best way to protect consumers and fans is to break up Live Nation.
A national group known as the Sports Fans Coalition said it will urge the Maine Legislature to revisit and rewrite the law next year.
The new law goes into effect in September.
