New York State Ticketing Resale Restrictions Suddenly Stalled

State legislation that would put resale restrictions on New York ticket resellers has been stalled until next year. In the meantime, an extension of existing ticketing laws has been introduced.

Bills that would place new restrictions on New York State ticket resellers have been postponed until next year at the earliest. In the interim, an extension of existing ticketing laws through the end of June 2026 were introduced over the weekend.

The bills would have established “refund rights” and put restrictions on speculative ticketing. In addition, they included some artist controls on resale, as well as a cap on ticket fees in larger venues.

The New York Senate’s original ticketing bill, S.8221, and Assembly Bill A8659, were introduced by Democratic Representatives Carroll, Kelles, Rosenthal, and Gallagher. In the State Senate, it was introduced by Democratic Senator Skoufis.

Music organizations, including NITO (National Independent Talent Organization) and the Music Artists Coalition, had previously endorsed both bills. Music Artists Coalition board members include big names in the industry, such as Irving Azoff, Coran Capshaw, Ali Harnell, John Silva, and Don Henley.

“It’s deeply disappointing that the New York State Legislature is not moving forward with Assembly Bill A8659 and Senate Bill S8221. Senator Skoufis and Assemblymember Kim fought tirelessly for a bill that would have protected fans—not scalpers—by capping predatory fees, banning speculative ticket listings, and giving artists more control over how their tickets are resold,” said music manager and ticketing reform advocate Randy Nichols.

“Unfortunately, legislative leadership caved to pressure from the powerful, private equity-backed, multi-billion dollar ticket scalping industry and their well-funded lobbyists. This was a chance to put New York fans first, and instead, they protected profiteers exploiting the system. We hope to return next session and work to educate leadership—just as we did with Skoufis and Kim—so they can better understand the problem and the urgent need to protect fans, not scalpers.”

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF) declared victory—for now. “The one-year extension leaves the door open for another attempt to push harmful amendments into law,” said the CTF. “We fully expect this issue to return next year—and we’ll be ready.”