Ticketmaster dynamic pricing 'urgently reviewed' by Gov regulator after Oasis fan fury

The Government’s Competition and Markets Authority told NimbleFins it is "urgently reviewing" the ticketing market after Ticketmaster raised the prices of Oasis tickets to more than double in what is known as dynamic pricing.

The regulator said failure of ticketing businesses to be "fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers" could breach the law.

It has not said Ticketmaster or Oasis has done anything wrong, but the website was at the centre of fan fury over the weekend when tickets to the band's reunion tour went on sale.

Fans in some cases spent more than six hours in online queues waiting to be able to purchase a ticket only to discover they had soared in price.

General admission tickets to Manchester dates had originally been priced at £148 but were being sold for £355 on Ticketmaster due to high demand.

One fan on X/Twitter said: "I was offered two standing tickets for £730. The words ‘daylight’ and ‘robbery’ spring to mind."

Another said: "Was in the queue from 9am until 4.30. Tickets £495.70 each!!!"

One fan added: "Same issue. £498 for a standard seat. Who needs touts when you have Ticketmaster. Or is it Oasis making the most from it? They must have agreed to it."

Now the Competition and Markets Authority have told NimbleFins it is looking into the practice of dynamic pricing.

In a statement to this website a CMA spokesperson said: "The CMA is urgently reviewing recent developments in the ticketing market, including the way dynamic pricing is being used in the primary market.

"Consumer protection law requires businesses to be fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers, and businesses must give clear and accurate information about the price people have to pay. Failure to do so may breach the law.

“The CMA wants fans to get a fair deal when they buy tickets. We have already acted against major resale websites on the secondary market to ensure consumer law is being followed. But we think more protections are needed for consumers here and made recommendations to the previous government in 2021 about the changes that are needed.

"It is positive that the government now wants to address this. We look forward to working with them to get the best outcomes for fans and fair-playing businesses.”

Ticketmaster dynamic pricing down to the event organiser

Ticketmaster says the choice to impose dynamic 'in demand' pricing is down to the event organiser, with a note on its website telling customers: "The event organiser has priced these tickets according to their market value. Tickets do not include VIP packages. Availability and pricing are subject to change."

Dynamic pricing is common practice on flights and train tickets, with prices rising based on the number of people viewing or buying them.

Ticketmaster has also been enabling dynamic pricing for a number of years, with fans experiencing the same thing for other artists such as Paul McCartney where tickets started off at £65 only to turn into a 'Platinum' ticket for more than £500 but with no additional benefits, the Guardian reports.

One fan on X/Twitter said: "Justin Bieber did the same thing."

Another added: "Silverstone have been doing it for years now, welcome to the club."

Separately, the Advertising Standards Agency had received 450 complaints as of yesterday.

The Government's response

Yesterday Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she wanted to stop "rip off" pricing.

She said the Government was committed to putting fans “back at the heart of music”, adding: “So we will include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it, in our forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales.

“Working with artists, industry and fans we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts, rip-off resales and ensures tickets at fair prices.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed, telling BBC Radio 5 Live's the Matt Chorley Show: "This is really important because this isn’t just an Oasis problem. We'll make sure tickets are available at a price people can afford."

NimbleFins has gone to Ticketmaster and Oasis for comment.

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