The U.K.’s competition watchdog has initiated an investigation into the sale of over one million tickets for next year’s highly anticipated reunion concerts of the iconic 1990s Britpop band Oasis.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the probe on Thursday, focusing specifically on Ticketmaster, a unit of Live Nation Entertainment. At the heart of the inquiry is the practice of “dynamic pricing,” where ticket prices can fluctuate rapidly based on real-time market conditions. This pricing strategy, commonly seen in airline bookings and food delivery services, can result in prices either surging or occasionally dropping, and it is notably more prevalent in the U.S. than in the U.K.
Last Saturday, numerous Oasis fans logged online and queued for hours on Ticketmaster’s website, only to find that the tickets were priced significantly higher than expected due to dynamic pricing. Standard standing tickets, initially anticipated to be around 148 pounds ($195), were often being sold for as much as 355 pounds ($470). This led to widespread discontent among fans, many of whom felt deceived by the sudden price hikes.
Critics argue that employing dynamic pricing for the Oasis concerts was inappropriate and misleading, given the predictable high demand for a limited number of tickets. The CMA aims to determine whether Ticketmaster’s actions amounted to unfair commercial practices and breached consumer protection laws. The investigation will assess if consumers were adequately informed about the possibility of dynamic pricing and if they were pressured into purchasing tickets quickly at inflated prices.
“It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation,” remarked CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell. “It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out.”
The CMA is now seeking feedback from fans who faced issues and intends to gather evidence from Ticketmaster as well as potentially from the band’s management and event organizers. If evidence of legal breaches surfaces, the watchdog has the authority to enforce corrective measures.
The controversy has also sparked action in Ireland, where Oasis is scheduled to perform, with some lawmakers pushing to ban dynamic pricing for ticket sales.
Ticketmaster, for its part, has stated that it does not set concert prices, attributing that responsibility to event organizers who price tickets according to market value.
Oasis frontmen Noel and Liam Gallagher addressed the issue on Wednesday, clarifying that they were unaware of the dynamic pricing practice and acknowledging that the ticketing process fell short of expectations. “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used,” the band stated.
Tickets for the band’s concerts, scheduled for various dates and locations including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Heaton Park in Manchester, London’s Wembley Stadium, Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, and Dublin’s Croke Park, went on sale last Saturday. Additional dates at Wembley on September 27 and 28 were announced, specifically for those who missed out during the initial sale, with a guarantee that dynamic pricing would not apply this time.
Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis became one of the defining British acts of the 1990s, delivering hits like “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova,” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The band’s sound was characterized by its singalong rock choruses and the intense dynamic between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his frontman brother Liam. Oasis disbanded in 2009 after Noel Gallagher departed following a backstage altercation with Liam at a festival near Paris. While the Gallagher brothers haven’t performed together since, both regularly feature Oasis songs in their solo performances and have frequently criticized each other in the media.
