The British competition watchdog has secured formal commitments from Ticketmaster in the UK to ensure greater transparency when it comes to the future sale of concert tickets there.
It comes following a lengthy investigation carried out by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched in the wake of a ticket-pricing controversy that erupted after Oasis reunion concert tickets went on sale last September.
Following the investigation, the CMA found that Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
Ticketmaster also sold some “platinum” tickets at almost 2½ times the price of “standard” tickets – without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits over some “standard” tickets in the same areas of the venue.
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What has been described as “dynamic ticket pricing” was also used for the band’s Croke Park concerts and saw some fans paying more than three times more for the same tickets as other fans who were ahead of them in the queue.
A similar investigation is being carried out by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in Ireland and a spokeswoman confirmed to The Irish Times that it was still ongoing.
“The CCPC is actively investigating Ticketmaster Ireland and its handling of the sale of Oasis tickets on the weekend of August 31st, 2024,” she said. “As the investigation is still ongoing, no further comment can be made at this time.”
As part of the agreement Ticketmaster in the UK will tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used (as it was for Oasis standing tickets). This means fans will know beforehand if there are multiple prices for the same type of ticket, and that more expensive ones will be released once the cheapest sell out.
It will also provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay.
The range of prices available for the event will be set out when people join the queue and fans will be updated swiftly when the cheaper tickets sell out.
And the platform has also agreed not use any misleading ticket labels and ensure that tickets are described accurately and do not give the impression that one ticket is better than another when that is not the case.
Ticketmaster will regularly report to the CMA how it has implemented the undertakings over the next two years to ensure robust compliance. Failure to take forward these measures could result in enforcement action.
Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the authority, said that “fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront.
“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it,” she said.
She said the undertakings “have been provided to the CMA voluntarily and without any admission of wrongdoing or liability. Ticketmaster has stopped using ‘platinum’ labels in the UK, separate to providing undertakings.”
The CMA added that while “many fans were under the impression that Ticketmaster used an algorithmic pricing model during the Oasis sale – with ticket prices adjusted in real time according to changing conditions like high demand – also known as dynamic pricing – the CMA has not found evidence that this was the case.”
In a statement Ticketmaster Ireland said that while the CMA announcement “applies only to the UK, measures such as displaying price ranges in queues, capped resale, and clear pricing at every stage of the purchase journey are already standard practice in Ireland.”
