New law proposed to set maximum ticket prices after Oasis dynamic pricing backlash

A new proposed UK law would require ticket sellers to notify fans of maximum prices at the beginning of the buying process, following the Oasis dynamic pricing fiasco.

The Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill, has been put forward to the House of Commons, after Oasis fans were asked to pay around £200 more than tickets had initially been advertised due to demand.

Under the new legislation, proposed by Labour MP Rupa Huq, fans would be guaranteed to know the maximum ticket price before entering an online queue.

Huq hopes the change in legislation will improve transparency on pricing and prevent fans from being ripped off.

When Oasis's reunion tour went on sale in August, fans waited for hours in a virtual queue to find out standard tickets, which were originally priced a £148, were being sold at more than £350 on Ticketmaster, due to implementation of dynamic pricing.

Speaking to Holyrood, Oasis fans said pricing strategy was an “evil practice” that went “against everything that music stands for”.

The Gallagher brothers said they were unaware dynamic pricing was going to be used, while Ticketmaster said, "all ticket prices are set by the tour".

In response to the backlash, Oasis announced it would not be implementing the pricing strategy US leg of the tour.

Huq, told the PA news agency, the new bill wouldn’t “outlaw dynamic pricing” but instead introduce “transparency and certainty”, adding “there is a place for the market as well.”

 “As a lifelong music fan, I, like many of the nation, was scandalised to see the recent situation where people were queuing up for the best part of a day to get Oasis tickets.

“And the pressure is immense when you’re refreshing for six hours to find yourself then finally at the top of the queue, you feel you have to go for it, but by then the ticket is five times the price of what you thought it was when advertised.

“From a consumer protection point of view, our constituents would like some certainty and so this Bill would enshrine in statute a maximum price.

“It’s a sort of sale of goods thing, that the price you can see when you start the process is the price you pay.

“It could be a maximum because dynamic ticket pricing could go down as well as up.”

She continued: “There should be some certainty, some predictability, particularly as we’re in a cost-of-living crisis.

 “But even irrespective of that there needs to be some fairness in the process because it feels as if the consumer balance is wrong and the ticket merchants can literally double it, triple it, think of a number, infinity and beyond.”

Huq is currently developing the text for the bill, which already enjoys cross-party support, and could be considered in the House of Commons on 6 December.

However, without support from the government, it is unlikely to progress in its current form.

Ministers have said the government will launch a consultation on the secondary ticket market in the autumn.