IThere were nearly ten million fans from 158 countries who queued on the website for hours to buy the Holy Grail: a ticket for the concert of the group Oasis, who have finally reformed. Before being offered a ticket whose price had doubled during their wait. Scandal in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, questioned in Parliament, is upset by it.
Read also | Oasis waited longer than Blur to reform, but less than The Stooges or The Zombies
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The famous Manchester singers are therefore giving in to the greed of American ticket sales sites, which adjust the price in real time according to demand. As with a common plane ticket, the world of entertainment is plunging into the poisonous spiral of dynamic pricing, a great commercial invention that has developed since the 2000s.
This is not the first time that Noel and Liam Gallagher have disappointed their audience. The last time was at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris on August 28, 2009. Two minutes before the start of the concert, the two brothers, who were no longer speaking to each other, argued and threw guitars at each other. Around 10 p.m., the organizer announced to the 30,000 spectators that “the group [Oasis] no longer exists ». Suffice to say that the announcement of their reconciliation has carried away the enthusiasm of millions of aficionados. Before the cold shower of the bill.
Fight against illegal resales
In a statement, the two brothers claim not to have been aware of this and promise two additional concerts. However, the ticketing company Ticketmaster has been using this practice for a long time in the United States, where it holds more than 70% of the market for major concerts. The company, a subsidiary of the entertainment giant Live Nation, assures that it is the fairest and most economical way to combat illegal ticket resales.
On some sites, like StubHub or Viagogo, tickets for concerts by Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift or U2 are being resold for up to ten times the face price. That’s a lot of money lost for the organizers and the artists. But, there you go, fans will find it less unfair to have to resort to the black market at crazy prices than to see the guy right in front of them in the queue pay 20% less for his ticket.
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This practice of dynamic pricing, which is several decades old, first became widespread in the airline, transport and hotel industries. Uber has shaken up the world of taxis by adapting its prices to demand rather than using a meter. With artificial intelligence, it is spreading like wildfire: shops, restaurants, sports, etc. It delights smart buyers and sellers. But it destabilizes many customers who no longer know the price of things. An uncertainty that also has a price, that of anger.
