Dynamic pricing will be included in the government’s probe into ticket resales, the culture secretary has said, a decision sparked by the rise in prices of Oasis tickets.
Lisa Nandy said in a statement released on Sunday that the government will include “issues around transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it,” in the forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales, also known as ticket touting.
“Working with artists, industry and fans we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts, and rip-off resales and ensures tickets at fair prices,” she said.
The announcement came after standard tickets for next year’s Oasis reunion tour more than doubled from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster due to high demand, which Nandy has called “incredibly depressing.”
Dynamic Pricing
House of Commons leader and Lord President of the Council Lucy Powell was among those hit by dynamic pricing—where the price is adjusted based on demand, such as with airline tickets and hotel rooms—when on Saturday she paid “more than I was expecting to pay” for two tickets for the Heaton Park performance in July 2025.Powell told BBC Radio 5 Live said that she does not “particularly like” surge pricing, but added, “It is the market and how it operates.”
“You’ve absolutely got to be transparent about that so that when people arrive after hours of waiting, they understand that the ticket is going to cost more,” the Manchester Central MP added.
Complaints
Noel and Liam Gallagher announced a reunion of Oasis last Tuesday after a 15-year hiatus. The band set several dates in the UK and Ireland for July and August 2025, with more dates set to be announced for venues outside of Europe.Ticket sales opened on Saturday morning, but by 7 p. m., the band had announced that “Oasis Live ‘25 UK and Ireland tickets have now sold out,” advising fans to be aware of counterfeit and void tickets in the resale market outside of approved vendors.
Since the weekend, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts for the Oasis gigs.
An ASA spokesperson said the complainants argue that the ads made “misleading claims about availability and pricing.”
The advertising regulator said, “We’re carefully assessing these complaints and, as such, can’t comment any further at this time.”
“To emphasise, we are not currently investigating these ads,” the spokesperson added.
Oasis Live ‘25
The Oasis Live ‘25 tour begins in July next year, with dates in the UK kicking off at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Heaton Park in Manchester, London Wembley Stadium, and Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium. Oasis then head to Ireland to perform at Dublin Croke Park.The band had had an acrimonious split in 2009, as a result of repeated arguments between the Gallaghers. The brothers continued to take digs at each other publicly, dashing fans’ hopes of a reunion.
Recently, relations had appeared to improve between Noel and Liam, with last week’s announcements confirming rumours that the band was set for a reunion.
The Gallagher brothers had said in a statement: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
The Britpop band, formed in Manchester, are arguably one of the UK’s biggest musical exports since The Beatles.
Oasis released their first album, “Definitely Maybe,” on Aug. 29, 1994, which charted at number one in the UK.
The band continued to have hits throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including songs “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” and “Champagne Supernova” all of which came off their 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? which became the UK’s fifth biggest-selling album of all time.
The band’s subsequent five studio albums each charted at number one, with the 1998 compilation “The Masterplan” reaching the number two slot.
Oasis broke up on Aug. 28, 2009, after Noel Gallagher said that he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
