A massive outcry from fans about the recent Oasis reunion tour ticket sales has prompted Ticketmaster UK to agree to major changes in its selling process. This announcement came Thursday from Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Among the key improvements, Ticketmaster will now notify consumers at least 24 hours beforehand if tiered pricing will be in effect. They’ll also provide clearer, more accurate pricing information to buyers waiting in online queues.
Last September, many eager fans wound up angry when the first batch of tickets to Oasis’s highly anticipated comeback tour went on sale. After navigating lengthy online queues, they were confronted with ticket prices more than double the advertised amount, with little time to make a decision.
This situation fueled suspicions that Ticketmaster was employing dynamic pricing, an automated system where ticket costs escalate sharply with high demand.
Even prominent figures weighed in on the issue. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain voiced his dismay in Parliament, stating, “It is depressing to hear of price hikes.”
The public outcry led the CMA to launch an an investigation. While it did not find that dynamic pricing had been used, the authority revealed Thursday that Ticketmaster had failed to inform fans in online queues that tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that once the cheaper tickets were gone, they would be forced to pay more.
The investigation also uncovered that Ticketmaster sold “platinum” designated tickets at significantly higher prices — some nearly two and a half times more than “standard” tickets for similar seating — without clearly explaining that these platinum tickets offered no additional perks.
In response to these findings, Ticketmaster has committed to a series of changes. They will inform fans at least a day before sales begin if multiple price tiers exist for the same ticket type, with higher-priced options becoming available as cheaper ones sell out.
Furthermore, Ticketmaster will now present more comprehensive price range information when buyers first enter the site and will alert fans promptly when less expensive tickets are no longer available. The authority emphasized that Ticketmaster must also “ensure that tickets are described accurately and do not give the impression that one ticket is better than another when that is not the case.”
Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s chief executive, commented on the agreement: “The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money. If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”
In their own statement, Ticketmaster responded, “We welcome the C.M.A.’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law. To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues.”
They concluded by urging, “We encourage the C.M.A. to hold the entire industry to these same standards.”