- Viagogo’s Matt Drew criticizes Oasis ticket sale chaos
- Calls for an overhaul of the ticketing system, citing unfair practices
- David Davis and government officials demand action against surge pricing
Viagogo’s business development manager, Matt Drew, stated that Saturday’s ticket sale for the band’s first shows in 16 years “descended into chaos.
A senior official at a resale site has stated that the ticketing system for shows, including next summer’s Oasis concerts, is “broken.”
Viagogo’s business development manager, Matt Drew, said Saturday’s ticket sales for the band’s first shows in 16 years “descended into chaos.
Thousands of fans were left upset and dissatisfied in their attempts to get tickets for the concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland next July and August.
Many people waited in hours-long virtual lines to get tickets on Ticketmaster, GigsAndTours, and See Tickets, only to find that prices had risen into the hundreds of pounds by the time they were able to purchase them, while others missed out entirely.
Mr Drew defended Viagogo, where tickets were advertised for more than £2,000 shortly after selling on the “primary market”: “It’s a system that isn’t fit for purpose.
“It’s broken, and bands and consumers are the ones that are losing out,” he claimed.
“By asking fans to buy tickets so far in advance, you’re putting them in massive queues, which are pre-queues to other queues, having them kicked out of these services, and having the price triple at the point of checkout – these are scenarios that just demonstrate how bad this is.
“That’s why we believe the entire system requires a thorough overhaul. It must be reviewed from top to bottom and revamped to benefit consumers.
“There are several evident and common themes that would be basic to a better system, such as increased transparency and competition.
These exclusive points of sale are almost unique to this business, and it is obvious that they do not operate. They cause crashes and allow others to raise prices to excessive amounts.
Mr. Drew said that dynamic pricing in the sale of Oasis tickets was distinct from other examples of its application in industries such as taxi rides since “it was a closed shop.”
There is no competitive tension, which means that those dynamically pricing the event can do whatever they want.
In terms of pricing, they’re simply choosing a price; there’s no downward pressure or competitive competition to push them in a different route.
Mr Drew denied that Viagogo’s charges were unjustifiable, stating that the company operates a ticket marketplace. We do not establish prices.
We’ve seen this practically all the time with Oasis, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce the previous year: there’s an initial flutter and some outrageous prices.
They are advertised, but those tickets do not sell, and over time, the ticket prices smooth out, evolve down, and finally settle in a sensible and rational place determined by the market.
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Former minister David Davis told Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that Oasis ticket sales were “corporate Britain at its worst,” with supporters being bullied and ripped off.
Mr Davis, a Tory MP since 1987, claimed he had written to the Competition and Markets Authority about it, claiming “the rules are not working” and “this needs to be fixed.”
I’m hoping they’ll reply and take action. He said that if they don’t, we’ll have to take it further in parliament.
These are digital shackles or a digital locked-in queue.
You cannot leave, contrary to the principles of free markets.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated that the government will “get a grip” on surge pricing, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has described the inflated sale of Oasis tickets as “incredibly depressing.”
She stated that the government would address concerns about transparency and the use of dynamic pricing, including the technology behind queueing systems that incentivize it, in our upcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales.
Ticketmaster stated that it does not set prices and that this is up to the “event organizer,” who “has priced these tickets according to their market value.”
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