Ticketmaster’s Pricing of Oasis Reunion Tickets Under Investigation by European Union and UK Government

Though dynamic pricing is currently legal, Lara Wolters, a Dutch member of the European Parlimanet, told The Guardian that she would pursue new laws to protect European consumers. “The only winners in this situation are big ticketing platforms, at the expense of fans who find themselves priced out of gigs,” she said. “This is not a system that seeks to maximise joy by filling the stadium with an artist’s biggest fans, but to maximise profit from music like any other product. As a music fan, I find this soulless and I want to put a stop to it, so I’m pleased to see the UK government is looking into this, and I expect the new European Commission to follow suit so we can finally bring in new rules against unfair ticketing.”

Ticketmaster compares dynamic pricing to how sales of hotel rooms and air fares operate, and says prices are set by artists and management, The Guardian reports. A spokesperson for CMA said, “Consumer protection law requires businesses to be fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers, and businesses must give clear and accurate information about the price people have to pay. Failure to do so may breach the law.” Many Oasis ticket-buyers complained that prices raised many times above the initial value were not revealed until they reached the checkout.