Ministers looking to ban dynamic pricing in Ireland after Oasis reunion surge ticket controversy

6 September, 2024

Oasis

Lawmakers are looking to introduce legislation in the Republic of Ireland that would ban dynamic pricing following controversial price hikes of Oasis tickets.

Per the BBC, several Fianna Fáil senators and TDs (Irish MPs) are pushing to introduce the legislation after the cost of tickets to Oasis’ Croke Park gig rose from €176 (£148) on pre-sale to over €400 (£337), because of an automatic surge increase due to demand.

In the Republic of Ireland, the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act came into effect in 2021, and banned the reselling of tickets above face value.

Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, Niamh Smyth TD (MP) and Jim O’Callaghan TD will now introduce an amendment to that bill.

O’Callaghan said the 2021 Act “protected fans” from missing out on tickets and from “seeing those same tickets for sale on a secondary site for far more than they can afford or would be happy to pay.

“It now must be extended so we can protect fans from the experience of seeing ‘in demand’ tickets jumping significantly above the asking price that was initially advertised.”

The surge in the cost of tickets came after assurances from the band that measures would be taken to prevent touts from re-selling tickets at inflated prices by partnering with resale platform Twickets. They also stated that tickets sold for profit on other sites would cancelled.

However, when tickets finally went on sale on Saturday (August 31), many who made it through the multi-hour-long queues were disappointed to find that they were listed for hugely inflated prices due to “dynamic” pricing.

While Oasis have said they “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used”, the ensuing controversy has now brought the practice into the political sphere.

Keir Starmer said the issue was “depressing” at Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this week, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called for a review into dynamic pricing and secondary ticket sites.

The European Commission has also said that they would be investigating the issue, following some experts alleging that not warning fans prior to the sale may have been a breach of consumer law.

On the official Government website, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it will also be investigating the use of dynamic pricing.

Their investigation will consider whether Ticketmaster has engaged in illegal commercial practices, whether or not people were given “clear and timely information” about the use of dynamic pricing and what it involves, and if people were pressured to buy tickets in a short period of time at a higher price than they were prepared to pay.

The CMA will be engaging with Ticketmaster and gathering evidence from other sources, which may include Oasis’ management and the organisers of the reunion tour.

They are also looking to hear from fans who have evidence of their experiences when trying to buy Oasis tickets, which they can do so here.

The band have also announced “a small step towards making amends for the situation” with “a special invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy” for two new Wembley gigs on September 27 and 28.

The post Ministers looking to ban dynamic pricing in Ireland after Oasis reunion surge ticket controversy appeared first on NME.