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Investigations correspondent Chi Chi Izundu and Music correspondent Mark Savage reported on new developments regarding Ticketmaster’s ticket pricing policies in the wake of complaints from music fans about the system used for Oasis’s reunion tour last year. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed that Ticketmaster has agreed to provide fans with more advance information about ticket prices. This includes informing fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system, like the one used for Oasis tickets, will be in place, as well as giving more detailed information about ticket prices during online queues.
Following the CMA investigation, Ticketmaster will now be required to offer additional details about prices during online queues to help fans anticipate potential costs. Furthermore, the company must ensure accurate labeling to avoid misleading consumers into thinking that one ticket is superior to another when that is not the case. To monitor compliance with these new regulations, Ticketmaster will be obligated to provide regular reports to the CMA over the next two years.
CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell emphasized the importance of clear and upfront information for fans who spend their money on seeing artists they love. Failure by Ticketmaster to implement these changes could lead to further action being taken, according to Cardell. In response, a Ticketmaster spokesperson welcomed the confirmation from the CMA that there was no dynamic pricing, unfair practices, or breach of consumer law. The company has voluntarily committed to enhancing communication about ticket prices, building on existing measures such as capped resale, bot protection, and transparent pricing displays.
Last year’s highly-anticipated Oasis reunion tour launch witnessed chaos as fans found themselves paying significantly more than expected for tickets, sparking outrage and prompting the CMA investigation. Despite allegations of dynamic pricing, the CMA did not find evidence of such a pricing system in use for Oasis tickets. The confusion arose from tiered pricing, where identical or adjacent tickets were sold for vastly differing prices. Despite the turmoil, Ticketmaster UK assured MPs that prices remained fixed and did not change throughout the sale period, dispelling claims of dynamic pricing.
Consumer magazine Which? applauded the CMA’s efforts to pressurize Ticketmaster into providing clearer pricing information but expressed disappointment that the settlement did not go further. Despite Ticketmaster agreeing to comply with future rules, Which? believed that fans who felt cheated when buying Oasis tickets deserved refunds and that the CMA should use its enhanced powers to deter future breaches of consumer law. The CMA’s actions against Ticketmaster come as the company, along with its parent Live Nation, faces legal action in the US over allegations of deceptive practices and manipulation of ticket prices, which have yet to be addressed by the defendants
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