Arts
Oasis fans were unwilling to pay the expensive ticket prices. However, were they considered to be 'dynamic'?
A regulator said it was opening an investigation into Ticketmaster’s actions, but the company disputed that “dynamic pricing” came into play.
Updated 2024-Oct-01 04:00
Liam and Noel Gallagher stand side by side.
Dynamic pricing has been a crucial component of Ticketmaster s arsenal for many years whether it was utilized for purchasing Oasis tickets or not.
Although facing criticism when prices become extremely high the industry has overall accepted it as a strategy to increase sales and prevent scalping by setting ticket prices closer to what fans are willing to pay an amount often seen on resale websites like StubHub and SeatGeek.
Many fans feel taken advantage of by this system but its broader impact is uncertain. Bruce Springsteen known for keeping ticket prices low faced backlash from fans during his latest tour due to dynamic pricing that saw some seats priced at $5 000.However the average ticket price paid for last year s global tour was just $110 as reported by Pollstar.
Last year s top 100 tours had an average price of $131 much higher than the bargain price of the event mentioned.
The return of Oasis the chart dominating bad boys of ’90s Britpop has been one of the biggest stories on the music beat this summer with a slate of surprise reunion shows in Britain and Ireland selling out instantly over the last week.
But the rush also introduced many fans to the frustrating vagaries of online ticketing where the prices are not always what you expect and they usually go up.
Last weekend after the first batch of shows went on sale angry Oasis fans took to social media to complain that many tickets that had been advertised at 148 British pounds around $195 ended up more than doubling in price to 355 about $468 by the time they went to pay.
The band came under fire and in Britain where the reconciliation of the group’s long feuding leaders Liam and Noel Gallagher was front page news politicians readily took up the cause.
About half the country was probably queuing for tickets over the weekend Keir Starmer the prime minister said in Parliament on Wednesday when asked about the furor.
But it is depressing to hear of price hikes.
Despite the presence of artists like Drake and Beyoncé who also utilize dynamic pricing this pricing strategy is here to stay.
According to Live Nation s CEO Michael Rapino dynamic pricing is being expanded globally with the company still in the early stages of implementing it outside the U.We are currently implementing this globally. Identified the Oasis ticketing issues as the most recent in a string of controversies regarding fan access to popular concerts such as Swift Springsteen and Beyoncé where high demand exceeds availability presenting a significant growth opportunity.
However fans frequently find themselves not only excluded but also deceived. Miller suggested that this may be a wake up call for everyone.
