LONDON — A company that came under fire during the sale of tickets for British rock band Oasis’ reunion concerts this summer committed Thursday to a series of changes that aim to prevent fans being shocked by the price they end up paying.
Following an investigation by the U.K.’s competition watchdog, Ticketmaster agreed that fans will be armed with much more information before and during their purchase of concert tickets.
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront,” said Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority.
“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it,” she added.
The moves follow the CMA’s investigation into the way Ticketmaster sold over 1 million Oasis tickets last year for the band’s reunion tour.
Many Oasis fans who queued for hours online at the Ticketmaster site were left shocked at having to pay more than double the face value of the ticket. Some standard standing tickets were sold for 355 pounds ($470) as compared to the expected 148 ($195.)
They accused the company of using dynamic pricing, an algorithmic strategy used in flight sales and home food deliveries, where demand levels can fluctuate and lead to surging prices while also sometimes leading to lower prices. It is a more common practice in the U.S. than in the U.K.
Though the regulator did not find evidence that dynamic pricing was used, it concluded that Ticketmaster did not tell fans that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheaper tickets sold out.
Ticketmaster, owned by Live Nation Entertainment, must now tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used, as it was for Oasis standing tickets. That means fans will know beforehand if there are multiple prices for the same type of ticket, and that more expensive ones will be released once the cheapest sell out.
The company must also provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay. This includes setting out the range of prices available for the event when people join the queue and updating fans swiftly when cheaper tickets sell out.
The CMA said Ticketmaster had made the commitments voluntarily and without any admission of wrongdoing or liability.
“We welcome the CMA’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law,” Ticketmaster said.
Some experts said the regulator should have gone further and insisted on Ticketmaster providing refunds for fans.
“Those who felt ripped off when buying Oasis tickets last year will undoubtedly feel let down that Ticketmaster hasn’t been held to account for its past behavior,” said Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at Which?, the U.K.’s consumer champion.
Oasis split in 2009, with Noel Gallagher, 58, quitting the band after a backstage dustup with his brother at a festival that saw one of his guitars damaged by brother and lead singer Liam Gallagher, 53.
That guitar, a 1960s red Gibson ES-355, is going under the hammer at an auction organized by Propstore next month. It is expected to fetch up to 500,000 pounds ($670,000.)
Oasis are more than half-way through their hugely successful tour, including performances in the U.S. and both brothers appear to be getting along. Their next concerts are this weekend at London’s Wembley Stadium.
