The Oasis reunion is already a political issue

Last Saturday, the Ticketmaster platform started selling tickets for the Oasis reunion tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland. While the site had previously experienced malfunctions when large numbers of users tried to buy the same ticket, this time the situation was disastrous. According to Rolling Stone, more than a million people tried to buy the golden ticket to see the Gallagher brothers together on stage, but only a few succeeded. Some were automatically removed from the waiting list, considered bots, while others saw their dream shattered when their purchase ended up in limbo. Now, Ticketmaster claims that there are still tickets available on its platforms, although prices have risen due to the "dynamic pricing" measure (price changes based on demand fluctuations). Adding to Ticketmaster's controversial sales system, there's another issue: according to a new rule, no ticket holders who bought from third parties will be able to access the concert. The inaccessibility of concerts is a topic affecting the entire music industry, especially the most popular artists worldwide, like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Harry Styles, who are increasingly involved in what is now a political matter. In England, after the Oasis fiasco, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed her readiness to address the issue, calling it «incredibly depressing» that the value of standing tickets for the reunion tour had jumped from £148 to £355 in a short time.

«After the incredible news of Oasis' return, it's depressing to see massively inflated prices that exclude common fans from enjoying their favorite band live,» Nandy commented last Sunday, a day after Ticketmaster's sale launch. «This government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music. That's why we will include issues of transparency and the use of dynamic pricing, including the technology of waiting list systems that encourage it, in our next consultation on consumer protection for ticket resales.» The UK's Culture Secretary also announced that she would soon work towards creating «a fairer system» by collaborating with artists and those involved in the music industry. It was also promised that new consumer protection regulations against online resales and scams would be introduced in the Labour Party's election manifesto.

With seventeen dates across the UK and Ireland, the Oasis reunion tour promises to be one of the most anticipated events of the year for fans of the band and '90s nostalgics. In response to the accusations and criticisms of the "dynamic pricing" system, Ticketmaster claims that the prices were set by the event organisers, not the company, which is only selling the tickets. The Gallagher brothers themselves commented on X about the directive prohibiting resale through third parties: «Since the pre-sale began, we've noticed that some people have tried to sell tickets on the secondary market. Please note that tickets can only be resold, at face value, through Ticketmaster and Twickets,» the band wrote. «Tickets sold in violation of the terms and conditions will be canceled by the organisers.» While some commenters are pointing out websites attempting to sell tickets for thousands of pounds, others are once again criticising the base prices on the official platform: «daylight robbery,» «double standards,» wrote two users.