The UK government has pledged to investigate Ticketmaster’s use of “dynamic pricing” following disastrous ticket sales for Oasis’ 2025 reunion tour.
“It's depressing to see hugely inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from the chance to enjoy their favourite band live,” UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in a statement pledging to create “a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts and fraudulent resellers and guarantees tickets at fair prices.”
The government will now include “issues relating to transparency and the use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems that incentivise it” in a previously scheduled review of the ticket resale market.
Tickets for Oasis' first shows in 16 years went on sale via Ticket Master On Saturday, the process left thousands of fans disappointed. In addition to the countless technical issues with the website, fans were hit with prices for “In Demand Standing” tickets being raised to three or four times the face value of standard tickets while they waited in online queues.
According BBCHouse of Commons Leader Lucy Powell was among Oasis fans affected by the surge pricing, paying more than double the original cost of a ticket.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed Nandy's ideas on BBC radio, saying “there are a number of things we can” and “must do” regarding the ticketing system. He added that the government's inquiry could “mean adjustments” to the law.
Ticketmaster has already come under scrutiny in the United States after ruining ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” In January 2023, the Senate held a hearing to determine whether the ticket giant and its parent company, Live Nation, contributed to a lack of competition in the ticketing industry.
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