STARMING IN
Keir Starmer wades into Oasis ticket ‘surge pricing’ row as he hints law could be changed to end fan rip-off
Around 14 million fans are thought to have logged on with some even accused of being 'bots'
SIR Keir Starmer has waded into the "surge pricing" of Oasis tickets and hinted laws could be changed to end fans being ripped-off.
The PM vowed to look into a way of making sure "tickets are available at a price that people can actually afford" after they went on sale for the highly-anticipated reunion 2025 tour on Saturday.
5
5
5
5
However, due to "high demand" the cost has skyrocketed, leaving many fans without a chance of buying one.
The PM said: "This is really important because this isn't just an Oasis problem.
"This is a problem for tickets for all sorts of events where people go online straight away as soon as they can and within seconds sometimes, if sometimes minutes, all the tickets are gone and the prices start going through the roof, which means many people can't afford it.
"On that, I do think there are a number of things that we can do and we should do because otherwise you get to the situation where families simply can't go or are absolutely spending a fortune on tickets, whatever it may be.
Read More in Showbiz
"So we'll grip this and make sure that actually, tickets are available at a price that people can actually afford."
It comes as fans of the world-famous band sat in virtual queues for hours on Saturday hoping to get their hands on tickets to one of the shows next year.
But the ticket-buying process descended into chaos for thousands of fans, with site crashes and time-outs kicking them out of the queue to the back of the line.
Around 14 million fans are thought to have logged on with some even accused of being "bots" and seeing their accounts suspended as a result.
Most read in Showbiz
However, after being trapped in an online queue for hours, many Oasis lovers were left disheartened to discover the hugely inflated prices.
Already prepared to fork out over £140 for the chance to see Noel and Liam Gallagher back on stage together, fans flocked to X in rage over how tickets were suddenly more than £350.
Now, ministers will examine the surge ticket pricing in a review after the cost of tickets for Oasis’s concerts more than doubled while on sale, the culture secretary has confirmed.
Cabinet member Lisa Nandy said last night that the use of “dynamic pricing” will be reviewed under the upcoming consultation on consumer protections.
Describing the selling of inflated Oasis tickets as "depressing", Ms Nandy announced that such issues, as well as the "technology around queuing systems which incentivise it", would be looked into.
She said: "After the incredible news of Oasis's return, it's depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favourite band live.
"This government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music.
Kathryn Thomas celebrates after nabbing Oasis tickets
"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."
Jamie Stone MP, the Liberal Democrats’ culture spokesman, called Ticketmaster’s behaviour “scandalous”.
He said: “The Oasis ticket fiasco must be a watershed moment and lead to an official investigation, either by the watchdog or a parliamentary body.”
Meanwhile, Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, said there was “definitely cause for an investigation” and said Ticketmaster should be investigated for "basically scalping" fans.
Government minister Lucy Powell was among those hit by dynamic pricing on Saturday.
She eventually forked out more than double the original quoted cost of a ticket for an Oasis show.
The Cabinet Minister said she was “not sure how totally transparent” the pricing was after managing to bag herself two tickets for £350 each.
Asked about dynamic pricing by BBC Radio 5 Live, she said: “I don’t particularly like it, I’m sure many people don’t.”
Labour MP David Baines also accused official sites such as Ticketmaster of “fleecing fans” after they queued online for hours.
He wrote on X: “After rightly criticising those who got presale tickets and then immediately tried to resell them for huge profits, it’s shocking to hear that Ticketmaster UK are now using ‘dynamic pricing’ to fleece fans and rake in the cash.”
Just after 7pm on Saturday, Oasis and Ticketmaster finally announced that tickets had sold out.
What is Dynamic Pricing?
The demand-based system was introduced by Ticketmaster in 2022.
It said it was brought in to stop touts and ensure more money goes to the artists.
Essentially, when there is a lot of demand for tickets, and limited supply, the price can go up.
Amid anger over Oasis's ticket prices, the company said they do not set prices and shared a link to a website that said costs could be "fixed or market-based".
On its own website, Ticketmaster describes its "Platinum" tickets as those that have their price adjusted according to supply and demand.
It says the goal of the dynamic pricing system is to "give fans fair and safe access to the tickets, while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true market value".
The company claims it is artists, their teams, and promoters who set pricing and choose whether dynamic pricing is used for their shows.
On top of that, touts have already started flogging tickets for an increased price of up to £6,000 on alternative sites.
Ticket resale websites yesterday were asking between £537 to as much as £14,104.
The issue became so severe the official Oasis account warned against purchasing from touting sites and will be taking action against those who sell on them.
Ticketmaster said the extra money created by dynamic pricing will go to the band, which railed against people trying to make money on the black market, but seemingly condoned the in demand pricing.
A spokesman for Ticketmaster said it does not set the price of tickets itself and declined to comment further - it is believed the ticket prices for Oasis gigs were set by promoters.
The legendary Britpop band announced they would play 17 gigs across the UK and Ireland next July and August.
Read More on The Sun
Manchester lads Liam, 51, and Noel Gallagher, 57, revealed the 17-date domestic leg of their Oasis Live 25 tour last Tuesday with the words: "This is it, this is happening."
They added that the show "would not be televised" meaning fans have to buy tickets to get in on the action.
5
Topics