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The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the way tickets for next year’s reunion concert of iconic 90s Britpop group Oasis are sold.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement on Thursday that its investigation into Live Nation Entertainment’s Ticketmaster will focus specifically on “dynamic pricing”, where prices can change rapidly in response to changing market conditions.
Many Oasis fans who queued online for hours on the Ticketmaster website on Saturday complained that they ended up paying more than twice the face value of their tickets because of this dynamic pricing.
The regulator said it would examine whether Ticketmaster’s sale of Oasis tickets breached consumer protection laws and whether the company engaged in unfair business practices.
The band, led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, said in a statement on Wednesday that they knew nothing about “dynamic pricing”. They left the ticketing matters to the management team.
Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis were one of the most influential British bands of the 1990s, with hits including “Wonderwall”, “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. Its sound is driven by a rock choir and the sizzling chemistry between guitarist-composer Noel Gallagher and singer brother Liam.
Oasis broke up in 2009, with Noel Gallagher quitting the band after a backstage argument with his brother at a music festival near Paris. Although the Gallagher brothers, 57 and 51, have not performed together since then, both regularly perform Oasis songs at solo shows. They also criticized each other in the media.
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