Ticketmaster Forced to Overhaul Pricing Tactics After Oasis Tour Backlash
Ticketmaster has been ordered to change how it
sells and advertises concert tickets following widespread fan outrage over
pricing for Oasis's highly anticipated reunion tour.
After a year-long investigation sparked by
complaints from fans, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has
forced the ticketing giant to end several controversial sales practices. The
changes, announced this week, aim to improve transparency and fairness in the
ticket-buying process.
The Catalyst: Oasis Reunion Sparks Fan Fury
The investigation began after Oasis fans raised
serious concerns about soaring ticket prices for the band's first shows in 16
years. While tickets were initially advertised at £148.50, many fans reported
seeing prices jump to more than £350 as they waited in Ticketmaster’s online
queue.
Fans expressed outrage over what appeared to
be “dynamic pricing”—a model where prices increase automatically based on
demand. However, the CMA clarified that no real-time algorithmic pricing was
used. Instead, Ticketmaster employed a tiered pricing system, where similar
seats were sold at widely varying prices, depending on when customers reached
the checkout.
Key Changes: What Ticketmaster Must Now Do
As a result of the CMA's findings,
Ticketmaster has agreed to a series of binding commitments, including:
·
Transparent
Pricing Alerts: Customers must now be notified 24 hours in advance if
a tiered pricing system is being used, including a breakdown of how it works
and which tickets it affects.
·
Real-Time
Price Range Updates: Once sales go live, Ticketmaster must clearly
display ticket price ranges and update them as availability changes.
·
Ban on
Misleading Labels: The company can no longer use terms that suggest
certain tickets offer a premium experience when they do not.
·
Ongoing
Oversight: Ticketmaster must submit regular compliance reports for two
years. Non-compliance could trigger enforcement actions.
Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA,
emphasized the importance of clarity for consumers:
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see
their favorite artists deserve upfront, accurate information.”
She added that the regulator would not
hesitate to act again if the company failed to uphold its commitments.
Consumer Advocacy Groups Push for More
While the CMA’s intervention has been welcomed
by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and other officials, consumer rights
organization Which? criticized the regulator for not going further. In
particular, they voiced disappointment that no refunds were secured for fans
who paid inflated prices.
Which? also urged the CMA to exercise its
strengthened enforcement powers, introduced earlier this year, to set a
stronger precedent against unfair pricing practices.
Ticketmaster’s Response: No Laws Broken
In response to the ruling, Ticketmaster
defended its handling of the Oasis tour sales, stating:
“We welcome the CMA’s confirmation that there
was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices, and no breach of consumer law.”
The CMA clarified it had made “no conclusions”
on whether the company broke the law, but confirmed that Ticketmaster had
voluntarily agreed to implement the new changes.
A Ticketmaster spokesperson added that the company is committed to improving the customer experience and enhancing transparency around pricing during ticket sales.
