Surge pricing based on demand is set to be examined by the European Commission amid a backlash to Oasis concert prices soaring due to the practice.
Some fans of the rock band were shocked by standard tickets for their reunion tour more than doubling from the originally listed €86.50 to €415 on Ticketmaster last weekend.
Ticketmaster has said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the “event organiser” who “has priced these tickets according to their market value”.
The practice of increasing or decreasing prices based on demand has been compared to the way in which airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold.
An acting spokesman for the European Commission confirmed it is working on a “fitness check” of EU consumer law on digital fairness, which it plans to adopt this autumn.
The use of dynamic pricing will be part of this review, the PA news agency understands.
[ Oasis tickets controversy: Is ‘dynamic pricing’ any better than touting?Opens in new window ]
The digital fairness “fitness check” was launched in spring 2022 to “establish whether additional legislation or other action is needed in the medium term to ensure equal fairness online and offline”.
The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour has attracted huge attention from fans because it will see the Manchester-formed Britpop band on stage together for the first time since their major split in 2009.
On August 31st, they revealed the general sale tickets for their forthcoming 17 UK and Ireland gigs had sold out in less than a day, but many fans missed out as they battled website issues and being mislabelled as bots. Two nights at Dublin’s Croke Park will be part of the tour next August.
On Wednesday, the band announced two extra concert dates at Wembley for their comeback tour due to “phenomenal” demand.
Oasis added three UK dates to the tour last week with extra concerts in Manchester, London and Edinburgh. It has now added two more concert dates in London, the band said on X.
“Tickets will be sold by a staggered, invitation-only ballot process,” the band said. “Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many UK fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with Ticketmaster.”
The original ticket release drew fresh criticism last Sunday from Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
Mr Martin described as “quite shocking” the escalating prices which fans encountered.
Following the ticket furore, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts for the Oasis gigs.
A spokesman for the UK’s regulator of advertising said the complainants argue that the adverts made “misleading claims about availability and pricing”.
It is believed the ticket prices for the Oasis gigs were set by promoters including SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts & Events. - PA/Reuters