LONDON – The British government has pledged to investigate the practice of dynamic pricing of concerts after tickets for Oasis’ much-anticipated reunion tour more than doubled in price on official ticketing platforms, sparking hundreds of complaints from disgruntled fans.
Tickets for the band’s 17-date tour of the UK and Ireland in 2025 went on sale on Saturday morning, with seated tickets starting at £65.00 ($85.00) and standing tickets starting at £148.50.
However, fans’ excitement quickly turned to anger, queuing for a long time at Ticketmaster, the tour’s main ticket supplier, and then when they finally made it to the front of the line, they found the price of standing tickets had shot up without warning. to £355.
Although tickets for all 17 shows sold out in less than a day, the unexpected price increase sparked an angry backlash from Oasis and Ticketmaster fans, with hundreds taking to social media to vent their frustrations.
In response, the British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy” said, “It’s frustrating to see prices go up so much that the average fan is unable to enjoy their favorite band’s live performance.
The cabinet minister said dynamic pricing was one of the issues the government would consider in its previously announced consultation on the secondary ticket market, which is due to start in the autumn.
Transparency and the technology used by ticketing companies to incentivize dynamic pricing will also be scrutinized as part of the upcoming review, Nandy said, adding that the newly elected Labor government was “committed to putting fans back at the heart of music”.
“By working with artists, the industry and fans, we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touting, fraudulent resale and ensures fair ticket prices,” she said in a statement.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday, he said: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Echoing the Culture Minister’s concerns about secondary ticket sales, it said the government would “take control” of dynamic pricing to “ensure tickets are actually affordable.”
“This is really important because this is not just an Oasis issue,” Starmer told the BBC. “It’s been a problem with tickets for all kinds of events, people will just go online…sometimes within seconds, sometimes within minutes, all the tickets are gone and prices start to skyrocket, which means a lot of people Can’t buy tickets.
On Monday (September 2), the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received 450 complaints about “misleading claims about availability and pricing” by Ticketmaster selling Oasis tickets. The regulator said it was “carefully assessing the complaints” and could not comment further. Ticketmaster did not respond to a request for comment. advertising billboard.
Pricing is full
While dynamic ticket pricing has become an increasingly common phenomenon in the U.S. live music industry in recent years, the Oasis comeback tour, jointly promoted by Live Nation, SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts, marks its most high-profile and promising tour . The UK and Ireland’s biggest live concerts.
As in other countries, the practice is common among tour companies, taxis and hotels in the UK, but it is understood to have only been used briefly in the UK tourism market for gigs and tours to date, and even when used , has also failed.
The furore from UK politicians over surge pricing is further unwelcome news for Ticketmaster owner Live Nation, which earlier this year was hit by an antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice and 30 states against the concert giant Encroaching on the market and demanding a breakup with Ticketmaster.
In the UK, competition regulators investigating the live music business have so far focused on resale ticketing platforms such as Viagogo, which has previously been the subject of numerous controversies, investigations and inquiries, culminating in the company being ordered to sell its StubHub business abroad in North America in 2021.
Call for greater protection
Nonetheless, scrutiny of all aspects of the live entertainment industry continues to steadily increase from governments and regulators in all major travel markets.
Last year, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it was “aware” of concerns over the use of dynamic pricing by ticketing companies and was “monitoring developments”. The Commission warned at the time that excessive prices imposed by “dominant companies” would violate EU law.
Ahead of the UK general election in July, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said that once in power he would limit the number of tickets individual resellers can sell on resale platforms and give the UK’s competition watchdog greater powers to impose restrictions on services. Scalpers who take “quick” action and break the rules.
“The overall lack of transparency in live music is a growing problem. Now is a good time to look at the entire market. Adam WeberCampaign manager for consumer group FanFair Alliance, he supports the government’s pledge to check dynamic pricing.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also welcomed the government’s commitment to strengthen consumer protection around ticket purchases, saying on Tuesday it was “urgently reviewing recent developments in the ticketing market, including the use of dynamic pricing in the primary market.” .
A CMA spokesman said: “Consumer protection law requires businesses to be fair and transparent when dealing with consumers and businesses must provide clear and accurate information about the prices people have to pay. “Failure to do so may breach the law.”
