photo courtesy Andy Brown
The following was written by Andy Brown, Owner & Founder, Andy’s Pizza. PoP-Ed. posts can be submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more frustrating than paying more than you should for something. Anyone who has ever been to an airport knows the feeling well. Rising costs have impacted all of us. As owner and founder of Andy’s Pizza, I am proud that our city is taking the right steps by increasing minimum wage and launching programs where they can help facilitate food access, housing affordability, and transportation affordability (and resilience!). These steps, along with growth in education and jobs access are the only way forward.
As some of you know, Andy’s Pizza grew up next to 9:30 Club. For years I spent every waking minute on that block while our little shop grew big. That’s how I found out about The RESALE Act, a bill that aims to protect all of us from getting gouged by sketchy scalpers by capping the amount a concert or theatre ticket can be resold for. This is another way we can fight back for D.C. residents.
How big of a problem is it? Well, the numbers are staggering.
According to testimony from I.M.P., last year alone saw more than 50,000 tickets listed on resale sites for more than double their original face value price, with prices soaring into the thousands. They estimated more than $38 million in price gouging from D.C. consumers in 2025, and those were just from the sold-out shows they were tracking.
That’s $38 million that left D.C. $38 million that didn’t go toward tickets for additional performances, $38 million that didn’t go toward dinners at neighboring restaurants, or drinks at local bars, or nights in D.C.’s hotels, or supporting the District’s transportation infrastructure, and $38 million that did not generate additional tax revenue for the city.
When people get gouged on one show, they go to fewer shows. Empty seats at venues mean empty tables at restaurants.
Our guests and guests of our local D.C. venues are getting pinched by a predatory system of scalpers that shouldn’t even be in the supply chain to begin with. Price caps like those included in The RESALE Act will make sure that entertainment remains accessible for everyone, and that our guests’ hard-earned money gets reinvested here at home, rather than taken by those out-of-state scalpers.
When entertainment becomes a luxury good available only to the highest bidder, the entire hospitality economy suffers.
As our city continues to face unprecedented challenges, we can’t afford to let predatory ticket scalpers squeeze our neighbors even harder. When folks can’t afford to go out as much as they’d like because they’re getting gouged by third parties everywhere they look, that squeeze reverberates through all of us – as people and as community members. We have the power to do something about it.
The RESALE Act will protect consumers, support local businesses, and ensure that the economic benefits of our thriving scene stay in D.C.
Fans want to see more shows and support more artists, when they can afford to. When they do, they dine out more often and support every level of our local hospitality ecosystem. Others may even travel from out-of-town to catch their favorite musicians here, since they know they’ll be protected.
The RESALE Act isn’t just a win for fans, it’s a win for artists, venues, restaurants, hotels, hospitality workers, and more. In short, D.C. wins too.
I’m urging the D.C. Council to pass the RESALE Act now, to protect consumers and support the local businesses that make our district the vibrant city that it is.
Andy Brown, Owner & Founder, Andy’s Pizza