Oasis ticketing chaos prompts probe into dynamic pricing

The British government has pledged to investigate the use of dynamic pricing by ticketing websites after Oasis fans got priced out of the band’s surprise reunion tour. The UK’s advertising regulator told BBC News it had received 450 complaints regarding misleading ticket prices and availability, with many tickets more than doubling in price. Sales began on Saturday and sold out within hours after thousands of hopeful buyers spent the day in online queues.

On Ticketmaster, the cost of some tickets increased from £135 (about $177 USD) when sales began, to over £350 (about $460 USD). UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told ITV News that the government will “include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivize it,” in an upcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket sales.

Dynamic pricing, also known as “surge pricing,” is a system that pushes higher prices for products as demand increases. The practice doesn’t break any British laws, but was already criticized for restricting access to music, sports, and theater events in Labour’s manifesto before the party came into power on July 5th. 

Oasis, one of the biggest names in the 90’s and 2000’s Britpop, abruptly disbanded in 2009 after years of infighting between bandmembers Noel and Liam Gallagher. The sour public relationship between the brothers makes this an unexpected reunion tour for many fans, driving the intense demand for tickets.

“After the incredible news of Oasis’ return, it’s depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favorite band live,” Nandy said in her statement to ITV News. “Working with artists, industry and fans we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts, rip-off resales and ensures tickets at fair prices.”

Neither of the Gallagher brothers have publicly commented on the inflated ticketing backlash. In a statement to ITV News, Ticketmaster said it does not set prices. While not the only ticketing service retailing for Oasis, it’s yet another controversy for Ticketmaster after the site failed under the pressure of Eras Tour ticket sales in 2022. More recently, the US Department of Justice highlighted the platform’s use of dynamic pricing as a means to unfairly drive up ticket prices.