Sept. 1 (UPI) — Brazil has adopted new concert rules dubbed the “Taylor Swift Law” that crack down on digital ticket scalping and require large events to provide free drinking water, nearly three years after a fan died during the singer’s Eras Tour in Rio de Janeiro.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed two decrees Monday establishing nationwide protections for people attending concerts, festivals and other public events. The measures address two controversies that emerged during Swift’s November 2023 concerts in Brazil: problems surrounding ticket sales and access to drinking water.
Assinei hoje dois decretos para garantir os direitos das pessoas que amam a cultura e frequentam shows de música e apresentações artísticas.
No primeiro, enfrentamos os “cambistas digitais”, que muitas vezes esgotam os ingressos em segundos para depois revendê-los mais caros. O… pic.twitter.com/ZA9ALCDtZI— Lula (@LulaOficial) August 31, 2026
The first decree requires ticket sellers to implement technological safeguards against mass ticket purchases through bots, scripts and other automated systems, which can allow scalpers to quickly acquire tickets for high-demand events and resell them at inflated prices.
Sellers must also disclose the full ticket price and additional fees from the beginning of the purchasing process and cannot automatically add extra services without a customer’s consent. Ticket holders must be allowed to transfer ownership to another person free of charge.
Secondary-market platforms must clearly identify themselves as such and adopt measures to discourage speculative and abusive resale prices.
The measures follow years of pressure from Brazilian music fans after problems surrounding Swift’s Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift Brasil, a Brazilian fan organization dedicated to the singer, attended Monday’s signing ceremony in Brasília and described the new rules as “historic.”
The group said Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour in Brazil was marked by online ticket queues exceeding 2 million people, widespread scalping and tickets offered for resale at prices far above their original value.
O Taylor Swift Brasil está presente no ato de assinatura do decreto do Governo Federal que estabelece novas regras para a venda e transferência de ingressos e pela água gratuita em eventos, em Brasília.
A medida prevê mecanismos para impedir compras massivas por bots, scripts e… pic.twitter.com/6TNZsM3Xs9— Taylor Swift Brasil (@taylorswiftbr) August 31, 2026
“This change is extremely significant for those who experienced The Eras Tour in Brazil in 2023,” the group said in a social media post. “It is the fulfillment of a dream and a step toward making the fan experience increasingly fair.”
Fans seeking tickets for Swift’s Brazilian concerts in 2023 reported scalpers buying large quantities and offering them for as much as $2,315, while official prices did not exceed $193, according to Brazilian outlet G1.
The controversy prompted lawmakers to introduce legislation that became popularly known in Brazil as the “Taylor Swift Law.” The Chamber of Deputies approved a version of the bill in April 2024 that proposed prison sentences and steep fines for people reselling tickets above their original price.
A separate controversy erupted when Swift’s tour reached Rio de Janeiro in November 2023 during a period of extreme heat.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, became ill during Swift’s Nov. 17 concert at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium and later died. Concertgoers complained they had been prohibited from entering the stadium with their own water bottles, prompting the federal government to introduce temporary rules allowing people to bring water into large events.
Under the new decree signed Monday, organizers must allow attendees to enter with bottles or other personal containers holding drinking water, subject to reasonable safety restrictions.
Events expected to draw more than 1,000 people must also provide drinking water free of charge through water fountains or individual containers in areas easily accessible to attendees.
Selling bottled water does not exempt organizers from providing free water, and consumer protection agencies will monitor prices to prevent unjustified increases.
The requirements apply to festivals, concerts, conferences, fairs, sporting events and other cultural or public gatherings. The separate ticket-sales decree does not apply to sporting events, which are governed by other Brazilian legislation.
Lula signed the measures at a ceremony attended by representatives of fan groups for artists including Swift, BTS, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that the government credited fan mobilization with helping push the changes forward.
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