LONDON — The U.K.'s competition regulator has launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over the sale of tickets for Oasisreunion tour, which drew hundreds of complaints from fans and heavy condemnation from British politicians.
The investigation was announced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Thursday (September 5) – less than a week after tickets went on sale for the Oasis Live '25 tour. The investigation will examine whether Ticketmaster broke consumer protection laws and engaged in “unfair commercial practices” by failing to notify ticket buyers in advance that prices would increase based on demand.
Standard tickets for Oasis' UK and Ireland comeback tour were advertised as £148.50 ($195), but the price unexpectedly jumped to £355.00 ($467) after several hours of sales due to high demand , prompting an angry backlash from fans.
The CMA said its investigation would look at whether consumers were given “clear and timely information” to explain that tickets would be subject to dynamic pricing, including the price they would ultimately pay for purchases.
CMA officials will also look into whether people were pressured to buy tickets at short notice at a higher price than they originally intended to pay.
The competition regulator said it would work with Ticketmaster, band management and event organizers to gather evidence to assess whether the Live Nation-owned ticketing company breached consumer protection laws.
Officials will also consider whether to expand the scope of the investigation to other companies involved in the highly anticipated reunion tour, which is being promoted jointly by Live Nation, SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts.
Fans who purchased or attempted to purchase tickets from Ticketmaster for the shows are asked to submit proof to the security guard, including any screenshots they may have taken during the purchase process. Submissions close September 19th.
“It is important that fans are treated fairly when buying tickets, which is why we launched this investigation,” said the CMA chief executive. Sarah Cardell in a statement.
“It is clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out. We want to hear from fans who have gone through the process and may have experienced issues so we can investigate whether existing consumer protection laws have been breached,” Cardell said.
Ticketmaster did not respond to requests for comment when contacted Bulletin board on Thursday. The company has previously stated that all ticket prices for the Oasis reunion tour, including platinum, demand (dynamic) and VIP, were determined by the promoters and tour management.
As a result of the weekend's ticket upheaval, the UK government said it would look into the practice of dynamic pricing for music concerts as part of its announced consultation on the secondary ticket market.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received 450 complaints about “misleading claims about availability and pricing” in relation to Ticketmaster's sale of Oasis tickets. The regulator said it was “considering these complaints carefully” and could not comment further.
Responding to hundreds of complaints from disappointed fans, an Oasis spokesman said on Wednesday that the decision to apply increased pricing to the reunion shows was made by the band's management and tour organizers and “and in no way [the group] was aware that dynamic pricing was to be used'.
“While previous meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and band management resulted in a positive ticketing strategy that would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to maintain overall ticket prices as well as the reduction of advertising, the execution of the project failed to meet expectations,” the statement of the representative of Oasis said. “All parties involved did everything they could to deliver the best possible fan experience, but unprecedented demand made this impossible to achieve.”
Earlier this week, Oasis announced the addition of two new dates at London's Wembley Stadium to next year's tour, bringing the total number of shows to 19. To avoid a repeat of the weekend's sales collapse, tickets for the two new shows at Wembley is to be sold via an invitation-only ballot giving preference to fans who were unable to secure tickets in the original release.
According to promoters, the Oasis Live '25 tour was the biggest concert ever seen in the UK and Ireland with more than 10 million people from 158 countries trying to buy tickets, which sold out in less than a day.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/oasis-ticket-sale-ticketmaster-investigation-cma-regulator/