Proposed Law Would Require Ticket Sellers to Alert Fans of Maximum Prices in UK

A proposed law in the UK would require ticket sellers to tell fans the maximum prices at the beginning of a ticket-buying process for music and sporting events. The move follows backlash from fans regarding the infamous ticket practice known as dynamic pricing.

“The Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events)” bill was put forth by the House of Commons, proposed by Labour MP Rupa Huq. According to Sky News, Huq — MP for Ealing Central and Acton — shared that she was “scandalized” by Oasis’ reunion tour ticket sale and said fans felt pressured to pay high prices after waiting hours in ticketing queues. While tickets started at 148, those prices increased by 3 to 4x their value due to dynamic pricing, resulting in upwards 355.

“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 said at the House of Commons.

The publication reported that Huq noted this law wouldn’t outlaw dynamic pricing, instead, “it’s just introducing transparency and certainty because there is a place for the market as well.”

The proposed law has garnered support from members of parliament already, and may be considered further on December 6 — though it would need to be backed by the government.

Earlier this year, officials in the UK promised to take a hard look at the practice of dynamic pricing after consumers fumed over the sale. Oasis even revealed they would not use dynamic pricing on the North American leg of their tour next year.

| READ: Surged Oasis Ticket Prices Draw Fan Fury on Reunion Tour Dates | 

“It is scandalous to see our country’s biggest cultural moments being turned into obscene cash cows by greedy promoters and ticketing websites,” Liberal Democrats culture spokesperson and member of parliament Jamie Stone told reporters. “The Oasis ticket fiasco must be a watershed moment and lead to an official investigation, either by the watchdog or a parliamentary body.”

The Advertising Standards Authority said that it has already received 450 complaints regarding the Oasis tour ticket sales process. The complaints were all related to tickets being advertised for one price by the event organizers, only to have consumers shown another (significantly higher) price during checkout.

“There are a number of things that we can” and “should do,” says Prime Minister Kier Starmer, “Otherwise, you get to the situation where families simply can’t go or are absolutely spending a fortune on tickets,” Starmer said in an interview with BBC Radio about the ticket sales mess. He said the government will consider changes to existing law in the wake of this and other high profile ticketing snafus, “which may well [lead to] adjustments.”

Which? says that the band, its management, and its ticket sales vendor owe it to consumers to refund the difference between the advertised price and the surged “in demand” and “platinum” ticket prices that they were forced to pay. The consumer watchdog group is calling on Ticketmaster to refund fans.

| READ: Australia Declares Oasis Shows as ‘Major Event’ to Avoid Ticket Scalping | 

Dynamic pricing has been a hot topic over the past year; concertgoers across all genres have felt the burn of dynamic pricing — from Green Day and Sleep Token to Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. 

Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber called the practice “racketeering” and “completely wrong.” Iron Maiden and The Cure both followed suit, opting-out of dynamic pricing for their tours. The Cure’s Robert Smith said the practice is “driven by greed” and artists are well aware of it, noting, “if they say they do not, they’re either f**king stupid or lying.”

The Australian government announced it would outright ban the use of dynamic pricing, following an explosive investigation by ABC’s Four Corners, which shed light on Live Nation’s market manipulation and impact on the country’s music scene. It is unknown at this time if other countries will also ban dynamic pricing. However, Ticketmaster is already under fire in the U.S. and is the target of an antitrust lawsuit alongside its parent company Live Nation, brought forth by the Department of Justice, 39 states, and the District of Columbia. The lawsuit, which alleges anticompetitive and monopolistic business practices, aims to break-up the pair.