Speculative ticketing—selling tickets before the seller actually possesses them—has long plagued resale platforms, inflating prices and creating false scarcity. The practice was highlighted in a recent Capitol Hill hearing featuring Kid Rock, underscoring consumer frustration. California’s Assembly Bill 1349 proposes to label such listings as deceptive under state consumer‑protection law, granting authorities enforcement power. If enacted, the bill would align platform terms of service with legal standards, aiming to restore honesty in the secondary market.

An emerging debate questions whether the traditional "windowing" model applies when music is never streamed, as artists and unions push back against streaming platforms' royalty structures. Dr. David C. Lowery highlights growing concerns over AI‑generated music, opaque royalty calculations, and...