Were you one of many Oais fans who qued for hours on Ticketmaster to buy your Reunion Tour ticket only to have the site crash and prices jump from to £350?

In that case, I’m sure you’re livid with that wild price inflation. And you’re certainly not alone in that. Thankfully, it’s not gone unnoticed by politicians and lawmakers.

Is dynamic pricing the villain in the live music industry?

While Noel, Liam and/or Oasis management would have had to sign off on using automatic dynamic pricing, this technology is commonly used among platforms like Ticketmaster.

Dynamic ticket pricing is an automated process that automatically increases prices based on real-time demand. As you might imagine, it’s a very profitable bit of tech that makes a lot of money for artists, their teams and ticket distribution platforms like Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation.

In fact, Live Nation has stated it sees dynamic ticket pricing technology as a “real growth opportunity” and continues to expand its implementation globally.

Oasis Reunion tour: a crash grab for greedy brothers?

Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing technology more than doubled the price of tickets for the Oasis reunion tour – which marks the first time the band will perform together in 16 years.

Despite rumours that it’s simply a cash grab for the brothers after reuniting for the first time after Noel split from his ex-wife, Sara MacDonald, Oasis fans have always regarded the very idea of this tour as “in demand” because, well, it’s Oasis. Dummy.

Therefore, I think a reasonable question is why those who curated the initial pricing plan didn’t consider just how “in demand” the tour might be before tickets went on sale.

Instead, fans of perhaps the biggest band of the nineties and early naughties Britpop era found themselves victims of automatic ticket price inflation.

Despite its heavily inflated prices, tickets for the 17-date tour still sold out within hours on August 31st. And many fans were left frustrated and angry as ticket prices skyrocketed during the sale, making them simply unattainable.

UK Culture Secretary pipes up: you’re in for it now, Ticketmaster (we hope)

While commonplace in the United States, UK music fans continue to meet dynamic pricing with increasing resistance – where it often prices out fans by inflating costs beyond reasonable levels.

As you might expect, this has triggered a significant public outcry and, thankfully, prompted a UK government investigation. Now, UK lawmakers will investigate the transparency and fairness of dynamic pricing in the ticketing industry.

Lisa Nandy, the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, expressed her dismay at the inflated prices. The cabinet minister stated that it’s “depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favourite band live.”

She confirmed that dynamic pricing will be a focal point in a broader review of consumer protection in ticket sales.

Of course, Ticketmaster has defended its pricing model. The company states that “[initial] prices are set by promoters and artists and that dynamic pricing helps prevent scalpers from profiting by ensuring that tickets are sold at their true market value”.

However, despite its “reasonableness” (since one reseller listed a July 25th Wembley seat at £5,289, meaning dynamic pricing only inflated the resale cost), Ticketmaster’s defence has done little to placate fans – many of whom feel betrayed by the system. And quite rightly so.

The Oasis ticketing fiasco is not an isolated incident. Similar controversies have erupted in the past. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 US tour saw tickets reach $5,000!

As a result, the UK government’s investigation will explore the fairness of dynamic pricing and the transparency of digital queuing systems. It’ll also explore other factors and technologies that contribute to price inflation.

Nandy states the end goal is to create a fairer system that prioritizes fans and ensures tickets are sold at reasonable prices. The outcome of this investigation could have far-reaching, positive implications for the future of ticket sales, both in the UK and international music fans.

So… who’s to blame for this ticketing fiasco?

It’s easy to point fingers at Oasis and its management. Perhaps they were unsure of just how popular they still are… but I don’t think that’s the case.

They’ve proven they could have set the initial ticket prices at £350 and sold out stadiums. But, for arguments sake, let’s assume all parties involved were a little naive… despite the bands’ 28 million monthly Spotify listeners.

Nevertheless, the real blame lies with Ticketmaster, Live Nation and their reliance on heavily inflated dynamic pricing.

Sure, these companies can justify their technology by saying dynamic pricing ensures tickets are sold at their “true market value”. But disenfranchising fans in an economy already on its knees makes that a pretty weak justification. One that is far from good enough.

Since similar fiascos have already taken place with Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and Bruce Springsteen concerts, this is clearly a trend that won’t buck unless a federal authority steps in. Thankfully, that seems to be happening.

Let’s hope the UK governments’ investigation makes a lasting impact and reins in the outlandish pricing models that automatic dynamic pricing inflict on live music and its audiences.