Liam and Noel Gallagher made musical history when the Britpop brothers announced plans to reunite Oasis for a series of live shows next year. The news was literally music to the ears of Oasis’ faithful fanbase, who have seen the rockers repeatedly tease and deny this very event since disbanding in 2009. Unfortunately, that excitement soon turned sour for many. Thousands of fans say they spent hours in the Ticketmaster queue only to leave empty handed. Now, the entertainment industry’s premier ticketing service provider must answer to the U.K. government amid allegations of “dynamic pricing.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Ticketmaster’s Pricing Model Comes Under Scrutiny After Oasis Rollout
Multiple news outlets reported Monday (Sept. 2) that the British government will conduct a probe into Ticketmaster’s use of “dynamic pricing.”
“Dynamic pricing” adjusts ticket prices to match rising demand, according to Politico Europe. In plain English, this means that the more people queued up to buy tickets, the higher the prices rose.
[RELATED: Oasis Threatens To Cancel Tickets as Resales Drive Price to $8,000]
Thousands of Oasis fans reported watching prices soar by more than 40 percent as they anxiously awaited their turn to purchase.
On social media, one fan slammed the price hikes as “disgraceful” and “pure exploitation.”
UK culture minister Lisa Nandy agreed. The politician told the BBC that “it was depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans.”
Nandy added that the UK government’s review would “include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it.”
Oasis Is Adding More Tour Dates
Oasis’ success came to a screeching halt in 2009 when the band disbanded after years of infighting between the Gallagher brothers. Many fans thought their chances to experience the “Champagne Supernova” rockers live were long gone. Not long after Ticketmaster opened sales for the reunion tour Saturday (Aug. 31), the brothers had already announced several new dates.
“Due to unprecedented demand, three new UK dates will be added to Oasis Live ’25,” the band wrote on social media. Those dates are July 16 in Manchester, July 30 in London, and Aug. 12 in Edinburgh.
Featured image by Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.