Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Oasis hit out at Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing after backlash

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Oasis have hit out at Ticketmaster’s so-called “dynamic pricing”, which saw fans pay significantly more than they were expecting for tickets to their shows.

A row erupted over the weekend after many fans were asked to pay as much as £350 per ticket, around £200 more than had been advertised, due to demand.

In a statement issued to PA Media, the band said: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management.”

They added they had “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used” in the sale of tickets for the initial dates.

The band’s statement came as they announced two further live shows at Wembley Stadium on 27 and 28 September 2025.

Oasis said tickets for the new dates would be handed out via a “staggered, invitation-only ballot process”.

Applications for the ballot for new dates will only be open to those who were unsuccessful in the initial Ticketmaster sale, they added.

Oasis acknowledged in their statement that the roll out of tickets over the weekend had not gone as planned.

They said: “While prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.

“All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience, but due to the unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.”

At the weekend, many fans missed out on tickets as they battled website issues including many being told they were bots.

Others who got through were shocked to find the price of standard tickets had more than doubled from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster, due to “dynamic pricing” for the tour, which sees prices surge if demand is high.

The high prices many fans ended up paying pose a huge risk to the Gallagher brothers’ reputation, as Oasis were seen as working class heroes in their 1990s heyday.

Earlier this week, the European Commission announced it would be investigating dynamic pricing following the controversy.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts for the Oasis gigs.

A spokesman for the UK’s regulator of advertising said the complainants argue the adverts made “misleading claims about availability and pricing”.

The new dates mean the band will now play seven concerts at Wembley, as well as dates in Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin.

The concerts will be the band’s first since breaking up in 2009.

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