The ‘in demand standing’ tickets caused fury
Oasis have claimed they had nothing to do with Ticketmaster’s ‘dynamic pricing’ policy after a backlash from fans.
Last weekend, tickets for the Gallagher brothers’ huge reunion tour went on sale, with millions hoping to bag a ticket to one of the 17 dates the band are playing next July and August.
However, after queueing for hours to try and get tickets on Ticketmaster, many were left aghast when they finally got to the front of the queue. They found tickets were only available at much higher prices than they had been when they first went on sale that day.
Many were only given the option of purchasing ‘in demand standing’ tickets, for more than £350, three times more than the tickets had initially gone on sale for just hours earlier.
This was a result of something known as ‘dynamic pricing,’ which allows Ticketmaster to raise the price of tickets according to market demand.
Now, Oasis have claimed they had nothing to do with the pricing strategy.
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.”
Oasis added they had “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used” during the general sale.
Since the controversy, the government has confirmed it will be looking into the practice as part of a wider consultation into ticket resale websites that had already been announced. This consultation will get underway in the autumn.
On Wednesday, Oasis announced they would be playing two extra UK dates at the end of September. However, the process of buying tickets for these shows will be different than it was for the first release of dates.
The Britpop hitmakers explained tickets for the Wembley shows will be sold by a “staggered, invitation-only ballot process,” which sounds like it will prioritise people who didn’t manage to get tickets for the initial run of concerts.
