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Dubbed “The Great Divide Act,” the legislation would cap resale prices, limit fees, and prohibit deceptive practices.
People line up outside before a Noah Kahan concert outside Fenway Park on July 11. Christian Kantosky/The Boston Globe
July 19, 2026 | 10:23 AM
2 minutes to read
Gov. Maura Healey and Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan have a common goal of closing the great divide of resale ticket prices, and new legislation might make it a reality.
As a New England native, Kahan’s current tour was unsurprisingly a smash hit in Boston, with four consecutive sold-out shows at Fenway Park, a first for the iconic stadium. However, high ticket prices and a lucrative resale market left many devoted fans without a seat.
In April, Kahan, who has been a vocal advocate for further regulating ticket scalpers, successfully lobbied Vermont legislators to cap resale ticket prices. Gov. Phil Scott signed legislation that made Vermont the only state in the country to cap resale ticket prices.
Now, Massachusetts is looking to follow suit. Last month, State Sen. Dylan Fernandes filed legislation to limit ticket resale prices. Fernandes’ proposal would require resellers to disclose the price cap to buyers and prohibit misleading practices.
The legislation picked up steam and is now being led by Healey, who announced Thursday that her proposal will be included in her upcoming closeout supplemental budget. Known as “An Act Relative to Closing the Great Divide between Ticket Prices and Affordability,” or simply “The Great Divide Act,” it would cap resale prices at 110 percent of the original ticket’s face value.
For example, a $100 ticket could be resold for no more than $110. Under the proposed legislation, resale prices could not exceed that amount unless the artist or venue explicitly authorizes a higher cap through a written agreement, according to a press release.
“Far too many Massachusetts residents have experienced the pain of being excited to buy tickets to see their favorite singer or sports team, only to realize that resale prices and fees have driven up the cost to outrageous levels,” Healey said. “Or how about when you do purchase tickets from a reseller, only to get to the venue to realize the seller never actually transfers them to you? Enough is enough. We are taking action to lower ticket resale prices so Massachusetts fans can better afford to see their favorite performer or team.”
The act would crack down on predatory practices such as the sale of speculative tickets, which are tickets that the seller doesn’t yet have when they list them for sale, according to Healey’s office. It would also limit service fees and charges imposed by resellers like StubHub and SeatGeek to no more than 10 percent of the total ticket price.
Currently, resale platforms often charge service fees of 20 percent or more, which can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of tickets, according to the press release. The proposal is expected to cut these fees in half.
Despite the act’s many direct references to Kahan’s concerts, it would also apply to sporting events, whose fans have experienced many of the same issues, Healey’s office said. During this summer’s World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium, some fans who purchased online resale tickets were turned away after they learned on arrival that the tickets they bought never existed.
Kahan, whose album title is referenced in the bill’s name, threw his support behind the measure during a press conference announcing it.
“The artist community and fans will greatly benefit from limiting ticket scalping and the sales of speculative tickets. I love my fans and want to protect them however I can,” Kahan said during the press conference. “Artists alone could not tackle the market manipulation of secondary resellers. So, thank you so much for making this a priority in Massachusetts.”
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