The Competition and Markets Authority, the branch of the UK Government responsible for preventing and reducing anti-competitive activities, is to investigate Ticketmaster over the sale of tickets for next year's stadium shows by the reformed Oasis.
The news comes in the wake of fan fury over Ticketmaster's 'dynamic ticketing' policy, which saw many fans fortunate enough to get to the head of the website queues confronted with ticket prices far higher than they expected. In addition, fans reported hours-long queues on ticketing sites, website crashes and system errors, as well as instances of prospective purchasers being falsely identified as "bots".
Tour promoters have acknowledged that the overwhelming interest – they report more than 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to purchase tickets – left "all ticket platforms struggling to cope, resulting in immense frustration and disappointment for fans who missed out after queuing for many hours."
The CMA's investigation will consider a variety of factors including whether:
- Ticketmaster has engaged in unfair commercial practices which are prohibited under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
- People were given clear and timely information to explain that the tickets could be subject to so-called ‘dynamic pricing’ with prices changing depending on demand, and how this would operate, including the price they would pay for any tickets purchased
- People were put under pressure to buy tickets within a short period of time – at a higher price than they understood they would have to pay, potentially impacting their purchasing decisions
The CMA is also encouraging fans to submit evidence of their experiences concerning the purchase or attempted purchase of Oasis tickets.
"It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation," said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA. "It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check-out. We want to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so that we can investigate whether existing consumer protection law has been breached."
Meanwhile, the Gallagher brothers have distanced themselves from the controversy, saying, "It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used."
Oasis are now offering “a small step towards making amends for the situation” with “a special invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy” for additional Wembley gigs on September 27 and September 28. Full dates below.
Oasis tour dates 2025
Jul 04: Cardiff Principality Stadium
Jul 05: Cardiff Principality Stadium
Jul 11: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 12: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 16: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 19: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 20: Manchester Heaton Park
Jul 25: London Wembley Stadium
Jul 26: London Wembley Stadium
Jul 30: London Wembley Stadium
Aug 02: London, Wembley Stadium
Aug 03: London, Wembley Stadium
Aug 08: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 09: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 12: Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
Aug 16: Dublin Croke Park
Aug 17: Dublin Croke Park
Sep 27: London, Wembley Stadium
Sep 28: London, Wembley Stadium
