Fans will see a series of changes to Ticketmaster sales practices after an investigation into Oasis concert prices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured a number of commitments from Ticketmaster after its investigation found it did not offer fans enough clarity on pricing.
Money latest: Ticketmaster forced to change sales process
It identified that Ticketmaster did not tell Oasis fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices – and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
It also said Ticketmaster sold some “platinum” tickets at almost 2.5 times the price of ‘standard’ tickets – without sufficiently explaining that they offered no additional benefits over some ‘standard’ tickets in the same areas of the venue.
Ticketmaster will now be required to:
- Tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used. This means fans will know beforehand if there are multiple prices for the same type of ticket, and that more expensive ones will be released once the cheapest sell out;
- Provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay;
- Give additional information to help fans make the best decisions, and give more information about the prices of tickets sold using tiered pricing;
- Not use any misleading ticket labels, giving the impression that one ticket is better than another when that is not the case;
- Provide regular reports to the CMA on how it has implemented the changes over the next two years to ensure robust compliance.
Failure to implement these measures could result in enforcement action.
Separate to the CMA report, Ticketmaster have now also stopped using “platinum” labels in the UK.
The CMA said it hopes the measures will send a “clear message” to other ticketing websites, adding: “If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.
“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it.”
Responding to the findings, Ticketmaster said: “We welcome the CMA’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law.
“To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues. This builds on our capped resale, strong bot protection, and clear pricing displays, and we encourage the CMA to hold the entire industry to these same standards.”
The watchdog launched its investigation following widespread complaints about the sale that saw over 900,000 tickets purchased through the site.
Some ended up paying as much as £355 for tickets originally advertised for £148.
Pic: PA
The CMA had made it clear, in an update in March, that it was seeking a series of remedies that were yet to be agreed.
It explained then that Ticketmaster labelled certain seated tickets as “platinum” and sold them for nearly two-and-a-half times the price of equivalent standard tickets, without explaining why they were more expensive.
It found that it “risked giving consumers the misleading impression that platinum tickets were better”.
The regulator also concluded that Ticketmaster did not inform fans that there were two categories of standing tickets at different prices, but it said there was no evidence that dynamic pricing – a form of surge pricing where costs can rise depending on levels of demand – was used.
The UK leg of the Oasis tour will end at Wembley Stadium this coming weekend.
A major test of the CMA’s agreement with Ticketmaster could come soon, however, as it is widely believed that Oasis plan to return to Knebworth House in Hertfordshire next year for a gig to mark the 30th anniversary of their celebrated 1996 concert.
