Fans will look back in anger at Oasis-Ticketmaster PR debacle

After all the supernova burst of news comes the chorus of reputation issues. And it was all avoidable.

Ticketing agency Ticketmaster has found itself firmly in the crosshairs of MPs and the public, following an issue that threatens to disrupt the industry in which it sits. What’s the story? Well, it’s now less about the Oasis reunion tour and Liam and Noel Gallagher kissing and making up, and more about aggressive pricing and disgruntled fans feeling completely ripped off. 

Hours of ultimately fruitless online queueing bred frustration, which then turned to fans looking back in anger as they accused Ticketmaster of greedily cashing in on huge demand through ‘dynamic pricing’, with tickets being sold for multiple times their face value. Tickets initially priced at £148 ($194) raced to £465 within hours.

The frustration of MPs in those queues prompted a backlash from a new government which clearly sees its own PR opportunity. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy voiced disappointment and promised an end to 'rip-off pricing'. 

Company bosses–not just at Ticketmaster–now face a very public grilling by MPs over dynamic pricing. Leaders in the industry will need to be armed with a robust response plan to avoid being dragged into the mire. 

Lawyers are also circling, with experts telling The Guardian that consumer law may have been broken. Which? also asked the Competition and Markets Authority for clarification on the legalities of dynamic pricing under the rules. 

Sadly, the situation has been a long time coming. Live concerts and events are where most acts earn their bucks. It is a multibillion-pound industry in the UK alone, bringing a positive impact to the economy. But ticket pricing and resales have left fans feeling ripped off for years and all platforms have had their criticism in the cost-of-living crisis.  

Dynamic pricing wasn’t needed to earn lots of money from Oasis reforming. But in doing so, Ticketmaster has damaged its overall brand reputation in the eyes of its key customer, the hard-working gig-goer, and put its model firmly in the firing line.

The FT and other media outlets reported that Ticketmaster did not respond to requests for comment on the Government investigation angle, and seemed to have gone very quiet in the immediate aftermath. On its website, Ticketmaster says: “Prices are adjusted according to supply and demand. The goal is to give fans fair and safe access to the best tickets while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true market value."

But what of the Rock ’n’ Roll stars themselves? They, too, have come under fire for getting into bed with Ticketmaster. Part of the issue is that the band were very vocal on its stance on ticketing, only for the whole situation to unfold as it has done. 

There was absolutely a better way to do this. When Led Zeppelin reformed briefly for a one-off charity concert in memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, it ran a straight-up ballot.

Meanwhile, former Housemartins frontman Paul Heaton declared in July, well before the Oasis debacle, that he would be keeping prices for his UK tour at a very healthy £35 ($46), adding: “There are some established bands who were just really, really taking the piss. I want fans to be able to afford a drink.”

It is actually sound PR advice. Ticketmaster and Oasis would have done well to follow.

Neil McLeod is the divisional managing director of corporate at The PHA Group.