Ticketmaster will face tough questions in the UK after thousands of Oasis fans were left disappointed after failing to secure tickets through the site for the band's long-awaited reunion tour.
British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy vowed to investigate Ticketmaster's use of a "dynamic pricing model", which resulted in ticket prices jumping by hundreds of pounds as fans queued online to buy them.
Some fans reportedly gave up buying after spending hours trying to get hold of tickets, as prices soared up to £200 (€237) while in the queue. Thousands of others were unable to even get a chance to buy tickets, forcing them to turn to ticket resale sites.
Nandi told the BBC that she plans to end "unfair reselling" and ensure tickets are sold at fair prices, adding that it is "depressing to see how drastically inflated prices are excluding ordinary fans".
The government plans to hold consultations with ticket resale sites this fall. The dynamic pricing model will now be included in the consultation, Nandi confirmed, saying ministers will raise questions about the transparency and use of the model, including the queuing technology that powers it.
The BBC reported that one of Nandi's colleagues, Labor minister Lucy Powell, was among those left out of the money after she ended up paying more than double the original price of an Oasis ticket due to a dynamic pricing model.
This isn't the first time Ticketmaster has run into trouble with government officials following a ticketing fiasco.
Last year, the US Senate held a hearing on the lack of competition in the concert ticketing industry after demand for Taylor Swift concert tickets resulted in major supply problems.
"The high prices, site outages and cancellations experienced by customers show that Ticketmaster's dominant market position means that the company feels no pressure to constantly innovate and improve its services. We will therefore hold a hearing on how consolidation in the entertainment and ticketing industry is harming and to customers and artists. When there is no competition that would encourage better services and fair prices, we all suffer the consequences," said Senator Amy Klobuchar at the time.
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