The UK competition regulator has launched an investigation into the sale of Oasis reunion gig tickets, and specifically Ticketmaster’s use of “dynamic pricing”.
Representatives of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said they were looking into whether the ticket-selling platform breached consumer protection law after many people aiming to purchase tickets complained of significant price rises, well beyond what had been advertised.
The use of dynamic pricing means that platforms like Ticketmaster, where tickets for the Oasis gigs were officially sold, often increase prices in line with demand, much in the same way that hotels sell rooms and airlines sell plane journeys. The company insists that prices are set by artists and management, and denies breaching any consumer protection laws.
A spokesperson for the CMA said: “Consumer protection law requires businesses to be fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers, and businesses must give clear and accurate information about the price people have to pay. Failure to do so may breach the law.”
The CMA’s investigation into Ticketmaster will look at whether the company engaged in unfair commercial practices; buyers were given clear information that tickets could be subject to price rises; and people were put under pressure to buy tickets within a short window of time.
Some people who tried to buy tickets for the Oasis gigs complained of price rises that reached as much as £350 per ticket, well beyond the around £150 that had been originally advertised.
The CMA’s statement added: “It should not be assumed that Ticketmaster has broken consumer protection law. The CMA will also consider whether it is appropriate to investigate the conduct of anyone else in relation to the matter.”
When asked by journalists for his thoughts on the matter, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as “depressing” and said the UK’s regulatory body would carry out an “urgent review”.
Oasis issued a statement to PA Media earlier this week, saying: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management.” They added that they had “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used” in the sale of tickets for the initial run of dates.
The band have since responded to the astronomical demand for tickets to their reunion gigs by adding two new dates at London’s Wembley Stadium on September 27 and 28, 2025. “Tickets will be sold by a staggered, invitation-only ballot process,” a social media post shared by the band said. “Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many UK fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with Ticketmaster.”
