Expert comment Last updated 03 September
A Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and Radio at Birmingham City University (BCU) is calling on artists and bands to stop opting-in to ‘dynamic pricing’ with ticketing agencies.
It comes as Oasis reunion tour ticket prices jumped to hundreds of pounds, despite the band set to make £400 million from the tour.
“Well, it was bound to happen, and it rings true that you can’t please all the people all the time!” said Dr Matt Grimes, Course Director for BA (Hons) Music Business at BCU. “Hundreds of Oasis fans faced long queues, limited tickets and were then stung by ‘dynamic pricing’, when the band’s reunion tour went on sale over the weekend.
"Dynamic pricing is not a new phenomenon and is grounded in supply and demand, of which there was plenty. It’s an opt-in system for promoters and/or artists with ticketing agencies such as Ticketmaster.
"Many artists, such as Taylor Swift and Robert Smith from The Cure, have criticised dynamic pricing and refuse to use it, in some cases even arranging partial refunds due to fees from Ticketmaster.”
“This also raises the issue of ticket reselling and touts. Even before the general release on Saturday, it was alleged that tickets were going on sale online for up to £6,000. As a response to the extortionate resale price, the Gallagher brothers issued a statement that tickets could only be bought and resold through official ticket agents, otherwise they would be cancelled.
“But Ticketmaster themselves have been known to resell tickets at higher prices, an almost ‘legally approved’ version of the once notorious ticket touting.
“It’s no wonder that the Culture Secretary has demanded an investigation into these practices that seem to exclude ‘ordinary fans’ from accessing tickets.”