The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Thursday, September 5, 2024 that it would be looking into the case of the ticket reseller, following the total fiasco of the sale of tickets for the future Oasis tour.
Their return has sparked as much excitement as disillusionment. And now an investigation into a ticketing giant. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the British regulatory authority, launched an investigation on Thursday, September 5, into the controversial ticket sales methods on the Ticketmaster platform that emerged during the reformation of the group Oasis. In particular, in its sights: “dynamic pricing,” which increased the price of some tickets for the tour from 150 to more than 350 pounds.
After 15 years of separation, the Gallagher brothers announced at the end of August that they were reforming Oasis, the iconic Britpop group, for a series of concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. But the platforms were saturated on Saturday, August 31, and ticket prices skyrocketed. The British government promised on Sunday, September 1, to reflect on the matter. Now, it is the regulator in the United Kingdom that has taken up the matter.
This action “follows reports from fans of significant issues with Ticketmaster,” wrote the CMA in a press release, which will study whether “Buyers received clear information” what if “Consumer Protection Act was violated” She will also look to see if the fans “were put under pressure to buy tickets in a short period of time at a higher price than they thought they would have to pay, which could impact their purchasing decisions».
Ticketmaster defends itself
Dynamic pricing “which consists of a company adjusting its prices according to changing market conditions, in particular strong demand, is becoming increasingly widespread.» et «Although this practice is not automatically illegal, it may in certain circumstances infringe consumer protection or competition law.“, notes the CMA.
Ticketmaster had assured that it did not set the prices of concerts and indicated on its website that this criterion depended on “the event organizer“, which determined the tariff”based on market value” places. In a statement sent to the British news agency PA, the group defended itself on Wednesday evening from being at the origin of this unexpected price increase.
Despite the scandal, more than 1.4 million tickets were sold on Saturday, according to the BBC. Oasis announced two additional London concert dates in September on Wednesday due to the “phenomenal demand” for its return tour in summer 2025. This time, the band has promised to change the way it sells tickets.
