Not every day you see a rock-rapper-country artist dressed in red, white, and blue step into the Oval Office, but Kid Rock isn’t exactly known for playing it subtle. On Monday, March 31, the genre-bending performer joined former President Donald Trump as he signed a new executive order designed to crack down on ticket scalping — a move aimed at reining in bots and bulk-buying resellers that have plagued fans across music, sports, and live events.
The order, which doesn’t create new laws but does instruct the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Attorney General to enforce existing ones, targets the widespread practice of using bots and algorithms to snatch up tickets before fans can even click “buy.” These resellers then flip tickets at up to 500% markups, pricing out everyday fans and sending profits into the hands of third parties — not the artists.
Standing next to Trump in the Oval Office, Kid Rock — real name Robert James Ritchie — spoke candidly about what fans have long known as a broken system.
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“Anyone who’s bought a concert ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years, knows it’s a conundrum,” he said. “You buy a ticket for $100, and by the time you check out, it’s $170. But more importantly, these bots — they come in and get all the good tickets to your favorite shows. Then they’re re-listed immediately for sometimes a 400, 500 percent markup. The artists don’t see any of that money.”
A Broken System Meets a Loud Partnership
The announcement didn’t come out of nowhere. Public frustration with ticketing giants like Ticketmaster and Live Nation has reached a boiling point, especially after the disastrous rollout of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets in 2022. The system crashed, fans were locked out, and resale prices hit the stratosphere — with some tickets going for tens of thousands of dollars.
Trump’s executive order seeks to enforce the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act. This 2016 law already prohibits the use of automated software to scoop up ticket inventory. But enforcement has been spotty at best, and consumers have continued to face sky-high prices on resale markets.
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Live Nation, which controls about 70% of the U.S. ticketing industry, offered rare praise following the executive action. “Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set,” the company said in a statement. “We support any meaningful resale reforms — including more enforcement of the BOTS act, caps on resale prices, and more.”
The executive order also requires collaboration between the FTC, the Treasury Department, and the IRS to investigate whether scalpers follow tax and competition laws.
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While Trump and Kid Rock were on message, the White House visit had a second storyline bubbling in the background. According to Trump’s Truth Social post, Kid Rock recently asked him to meet with comedian and longtime critic Bill Maher. Trump says he “didn’t like the idea much,” but considers the meeting “as a favor for a friend.” He even hinted that UFC’s Dana White could join them.
Whether the legislation will have teeth or just add to the political theater remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain: with Kid Rock in the Oval Office and bots in the crosshairs, the spotlight is once again on an industry fans love — and love to hate.
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