LONDON — Britain’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into how tickets were sold for next year’s reunion concerts by iconic 1990s Britpop band Oasis.
In a statement on Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its investigation into Live Nation Entertainment’s Ticketmaster unit would focus specifically on “dynamic pricing”, where prices can change rapidly in response to changing market conditions.
Many Oasis fans who queued online on the Ticketmaster website for many hours on Saturday complained that they ended up paying more than double the face value of the ticket due to this dynamic pricing.
The watchdog said it would investigate whether Ticketmaster’s sale of Oasis tickets may have breached consumer protection law and whether the company engaged in unfair trading practices.
The group is led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who said in a statement Wednesday that they knew nothing about “dynamic pricing” and were leaving ticketing issues to their management team.
Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis were one of the dominant British bands of the 1990s, with hits including “Wonderwall”, “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. Their sound was fuelled by sing-along rock choruses and the explosive chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his singer brother Liam.
Oasis split in 2009, with Noel Gallagher leaving the band after an argument with his brother backstage at a festival near Paris. While the Gallagher brothers, now aged 57 and 51, have not performed together since, both regularly perform Oasis songs at their solo shows. They have also criticised each other in the press.
washingtontimes
