S Poddar
The Oasis ticket frenzy has prompted a government inquiry into “dynamic pricing” – and the astonishing admission by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson that she is a Blur fan.
The surge pricing model, which automatically raises the cost of an event in line with demand, saw standard tickets on Ticketmaster leap from £148 to £355, and Oasis fans are paying far more than they thought they were.
Speaking to LBC, Phillipson said, “I wasn’t in the queue. I confess I was always more of a Blur person myself. But I do understand how frustrating it’s been for fans.” She assured the public that the government would look into dynamic pricing with regards to fairness for concertgoers, echoing a wider concern for consumer rights.
It received widespread media attention when Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy reacted in outrage to the inflated prices of tickets. She referred to it as “incredibly depressing,” considering how long-anticipated the news was for Oasis’ return. Nandy declared that dynamic pricing and its impact on fans would be included in this year’s government review of the gig sales secondary market.
This Government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music,” said Nandy. She further reiterated that ticket pricing must be brought into the daylight and that practices that allow touts and rip-off resales should come to an end. The review will also tackle the technology behind queuing systems driving surge pricing in a bid to develop a fairer ticketing system.
The government might also consider the use of dynamic pricing in industries other than ticket sales, including in travel. In a nod toward potential practices regarding travel, Phillipson suggested airlines and travel companies may be examined for tacking on higher prices during school holidays-a scenario that has seen many parents take their kids out of school during term time to avoid paying higher prices.
Phillipson, in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, agreed that the issue does need further consideration, yet she still had this to say: “We all have responsibilities.” She indicated that when children miss days at the beginning of the school term, it can set a pattern for the year. She granted that the government has to do its part.
Downing Street was dragged into the dispute when the Prime Minister’s spokesman was invited to say whether Sir Keir Starmer had a preference between Oasis and Blur. Sidestepping the question, he referred them to existing consumer rights legislation which demands clarity over the ticket pricing policy.
Among the victims of dynamic pricing was government minister Lucy Powell, who paid over twice the face value of a ticket to see Oasis. The “in-demand” pricing has been greeted with predictable fury from fans, including those branding the touting as “sickening” and “scandalous “.
Ticketmaster, however, passed the buck and said that this falls onto the event organizers, not them. In an attempt to suggest remedies, the company asked customers to try cookie cleaning and limiting themselves to one browser tab when trying to buy tickets.
Despite the frustration, all 17 shows on the Oasis reunion tour sold out virtually immediately-several fans, who were incorrectly tagged as bots and removed by the websites for bot-like activity, were not able to get through and purchase tickets. Promoters of the band, and Oasis themselves, have been reached for comment about the situation.
House of Commons leader Lucy Powell related her own experience, announcing she paid £350 for two tickets to the Heaton Park show, originally costing £148.50, plus a booking fee. She has accepted that surge pricing is real but called for transparency by the companies so that “fans are not getting whacked after hours in virtual queues”.
But the furore focused attention on unofficial resellers like Viagogo, which had tickets for a Wembley show on July 25 listed for an astonishing £5,289. The site defended its practices, saying that resale is legal in the UK, and that fans are protected by a guarantee of receiving their tickets in time, or their money back.
In response, Oasis urged fans to use only Ticketmaster and Twickets for resales, warning them that tickets sold at inflated prices through other channels would be invalidated.
This row over ticket pricing-which has thrown up a fairer system prioritizing fans ahead of profits-is one it seems the government is anxious to act on as it reviews the current state of the industry.
