Competitors and Markets Authority, a U.Ok. regulator, launched an investigation into how Ticketmaster priced its tickets for the Oasis reunion tour subsequent summer time and whether or not the corporate was clear about it forward of time.
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Matt Cardy/Getty Photographs
British regulators launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over its sale of Oasis tickets for the Britpop band’s upcoming reunion tour, together with the corporate’s use of “dynamic pricing” that will increase prices to followers.
This previous weekend, a crush of followers waited in hours-long queues on the platform to purchase tickets to the band’s tour subsequent summer time earlier than discovering that costs had risen whereas they had been in line because of the dynamic pricing system that hikes costs based mostly on demand.
The Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA) mentioned Thursday that it’ll look into whether or not Ticketmaster breached shopper safety legislation. CMA’s probe into the corporate’s Oasis ticket gross sales will embody whether or not patrons got “clear and well timed data” explaining that the tickets could possibly be topic to dynamic pricing and the way that might have an effect on costs. It would additionally look into whether or not individuals had been put beneath stress to purchase tickets at sudden costs inside a brief time frame.
The apply of dynamic pricing itself isn’t unlawful, however the watchdog is investigating whether or not Ticketmaster was clear in regards to the system forward of time.
“Client legislation is evident — ticket gross sales websites should be clear of their dealings with shoppers and provides clear and correct details about the worth individuals should pay,” the authority mentioned.
In a press release to NPR, Ticketmaster mentioned it’s dedicated to cooperating with the CMA.
Ticketmaster costs quadrupled attributable to dynamic pricing
Oasis warned patrons that tickets offered on the secondary resale market, the place they had been predictably offered for main revenue, can be voided. However many followers took to social media to precise their shock that some tickets from the official vendor Ticketmaster had jumped to greater than 4 instances the beginning worth, with $100 standing room tickets later costing $466 earlier than charges.
Oasis mentioned in a press release that lead band members Liam and Noel Gallagher didn’t know that dynamic pricing can be used within the ticket gross sales, the BBC reported.
“It must be made clear that Oasis go away selections on ticketing and pricing totally to their promoters and administration,” the band mentioned.
It added, “Whereas prior conferences between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s administration resulted in a constructive ticket sale technique, which might be a good expertise for followers, together with dynamic ticketing to assist preserve common ticket costs down in addition to cut back touting, the execution of the plan failed to satisfy expectations.”
The tickets that went on sale Saturday for the band’s concert events in England, Eire and Scotland, from July 4 by Aug 17, 2025, shortly offered out. On Wednesday, two extra dates had been added, for Sept. 27 and 28, 2025, at London’s Wembley Stadium. The invite-only sale will first be open solely to individuals who didn’t get tickets within the preliminary Ticketmaster sale.
Dynamic pricing is not going to be used for these ticket gross sales, the Related Press reported.
It’s not the primary time the corporate has been beneath hearth for its use of dynamic pricing. After an identical pricing controversy affected the ticket-buying course of for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, the U.S. Justice Division sued Ticketmaster’s proprietor, Dwell Nation Leisure, for its alleged monopoly on reside leisure.
NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento contributed to this story.
