The Assembly has backed a Sinn Féin motion calling on the Competition and Markets Authority to prohibit ‘dynamic pricing’ in the wake of the Oasis Live ‘25 Tour ticket fiasco.
The practice, which enables businesses to set flexible prices for products based on current market demands, came to the fore recently when fans of the Manchester band were forced to paid exorbitant ticket prices.
The statutory organisation, responsible for preventing anti-competitive business practices, subsequently launched an investigation into Ticketmaster, the US-based ticket sales company responsible, to determine whether it had breached consumer protection law.
Sinn Féin Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew said the “appalling treatment of people seeking Oasis tickets should be a catalyst for change in the industry”.
He added: “This practice is clearly wrong, but it has been going on for some time with many thousands of concert-goers left feeling as if they have been effectively ripped-off.
“That isn’t good enough and there is an obvious need for companies selling tickets to operate with fairness and transparency, so customers know exactly what and when they are expected to pay.
“Hopefully the justifiable anger at the treatment of Oasis fans will prove to be a catalyst for much-needed change in the industry,” said Mr Gildernew.
The Alliance Party North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland said that the use of ‘dynamic pricing’ for Oasis tickets was “less about ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’ and more about standing on the necks of your working-class fans.”
She added: “The practice prices out the everyday fan and removes their ability to attend multiple events.
“It begins a slippery slope of making live music totally inaccessible, which is the antithesis of where we want to go in promoting and sustaining our live music sector.
“We need to see caps on the percentage of seats that are being dynamically priced and a cap on how high a price those seats can be sold at, if we cannot get a total ban,” she said.
The DUP’s David Brooks pointed to other industries which use dynamic pricing and how Ticketmaster’s use differed.
“Although this is a growing trend in the industry, we should not be focused on just one event — the sale of tickets for the Oasis gigs,” he said.
“Such unethical practices have been more routinely used in the United States for some time and have seen prices for sports and live entertainment rocket beyond the means of many working families. We should learn the lessons of their experience.”
