UK government is seriously investigating Ticketmaster for dynamic pricing after Oasis drama

Ticketmaster is set to be investigated by the UK government after the weekend’s fiasco as millions tried to get tickets for the Oasis reunion tour only to be met by the widely criticised system’s dynamic pricing. This pricing system used by Ticketmaster sees prices for a ticket increase drastically due to demand – with the original face value of £135 rocketing to £350 in some cases. Not only this, but the long queues and constant crashing of the site led to fans getting to the front to purchase only to be met by an outrageously increased fee. The UK government have pledged to investigate Ticketmaster after Oasis chaos affected even Labour ministers trying to get their hands on a ticket to see a music reunion no one was expecting.

UK government Labour culture minister Lisa Nandy has spoken out about the Oasis Ticketmaster scandal, saying to the BBC “After the incredible news of Oasis’s return, it’s depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favourite band live.

“This government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music. So we will include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queueing systems which incentivise it, in our forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales.”

ah yeah… now it’s affecting middle aged men something is being done about it!! https://t.co/JBp9bdUuAG

— hannah🏠🕺🏼🪩 (@hannahshouse_) September 2, 2024

But this has been an issue for a while, and isn’t a new thing that started with Oasis. It seems people are just taking notice now. Wonder why that might be!

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As the tweet above’s sentiment suggests, it feels like something is only being done because now the saga is affecting more than just fans of pop stars. Twice this year there has been huge backlash towards live gigs and shows after ticket prices for Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter drastically rocketed up to over the £200 mark due to the dynamic pricing Ticketmaster system. A deeply flawed system, since if the company claims the prices increase due to demand then, well, there’s always demand? That is the whole point of people trying to get tickets. If people don’t rush to buy them when they drop then they sell out and won’t get one. There should be a flat fee and limit set by the artist that Ticketmaster can’t go over.

this aged well pic.twitter.com/syIl07X6k2

— ً (@tylerduran21) September 3, 2024

A tweet in the replies showing an old sentiment of Liam Gallagher’s from 2017 has not aged well – where he talks of the $350 dollar cost outrage. That was seven years ago. Whilst Oasis are not directly responsible for Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing system, what did the Gallagher brothers do to stop it?

Last year, the US tried to take action too after the Taylor Swift Eras tour surge caused widespread outage and failure to secure attendance.

“The high fees, site disruptions and cancellations that customers experienced shows how Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company does not face any pressure to continually innovate and improve,” Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said at the time. “That’s why we will hold a hearing on how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industry harms customers and artists alike. When there is no competition to incentivize better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences.”

In the current state, the Oasis fiasco sees the artist getting backlash because of the Ticketmaster dynamic pricing system – the UK government taking action should hopefully see an outcome that benefits us all.

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Featured image via Shutterstock.