Micheál Martin says prices for Oasis tickets is 'shocking'

By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

The Tánaiste has said a strong reflection is needed on the prices of concert tickets after many Irish fans were left disappointed following the sale of tickets for the Oasis Croke Park gigs.

Thousands of fans were priced out of tickets for concerts next August, as the band will play two gigs in Dublin following the announcement of their reunion.

Speaking in Skibbereen, Co Cork Tánaiste Micheál Martin described as “quite shocking” the escalating prices which Oasis fans experienced whilst buying tickets for the Croke Park gigs.

“We have the competition and consumer authority and I think there is a role there for it, which is the body designated to do these things, to investigate this.

"But more broadly speaking, I do think we need a strong reflection on this kind of runaway inflation on costs for concerts of these kinds with so many people looking forward to it.

"Clearly, it is beyond the reach of many, many people to purchase or to be in a position to be able to afford a ticket to a concert given the rampant acceleration of price increases.

"There is still time for redemption I would hope and I would hope all of those organising this could reflect on what has transpired because certainly there are a lot of disappointed people out there from the perspective of what they would see as price gouging. “

UK government minister Lucy Powell has been hit by dynamic pricing, and eventually had to fork out more than double the original quoted cost of a ticket for Oasis.

Fans called the “in-demand” pricing on Saturday for the band’s passes “sickening” and “scandalous” following standard tickets more than doubling from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster.

When asked about this issue by the PA news agency, the ticket selling giant said it does not set prices, and shared a link to its website where it says costs can be “fixed or market-based”.

Lots of fans also missed out on the reunion tour tickets as they battled with website issues, and being mislabelled as bots, before Oasis announced all 17 shows had sold out.

However, Ticketmaster maintained its website had not crashed, and directed customers to clear cookies, and to only use on tab.

An explanation by the website about the “in-demand standing ticket” price says: “The event organiser has priced these tickets according to their market value.”

House of Commons leader and Lord President of the Council Ms Powell says she ended up buying two tickets for £350 each for Heaton Park in July, which were originally quoted at £148.50, not including a booking fee of £2.75.

The Manchester Central MP told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Eventually (I) got through and bought a couple of tickets for more than I was expecting to pay.”

Ms Powell said she does not “particularly like” surge pricing, before adding: “It is the market and how it operates.”

“You’ve absolutely got to be transparent about that so that when people arrive after hours of waiting, they understand that the ticket is going to cost more,” she also said.

Explaining the rationalisation of this type of approach, Jonathan Brown, chief executive of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, told the BBC: “People are used to that shift in price.

“I consider it unfair when a train ticket is much higher than I’m willing to pay.”

He also says it is usually set by “artists and their management”.

However, it is believed the ticket prices for Oasis gigs were done by promoters.

Oasis promoters Manchester-based SJM Concerts, Irish MCD, and Scottish DF Concerts & Events have all been approached for comment.

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher have made negative comments about each other for more than a decade, before confirming their reunion on Tuesday.

Shows outside Europe for Oasis Live 25 will be confirmed at a later date.

A Government spokeswoman said in a statement to PA: “Everyone deserves a fair chance to see their favourite artists live, that is why vendors are required by law to be transparent about their ticket prices.

“We want to go further to put fans back at the heart of music, and will bring in protections to stop people being ripped off by touts.”

Consumer rights and unfair trading regulation can also be enforced to tackle the issue.

There has also been urging for the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate fans being quoted €415.50 each for standing tickets, originally list at €86.50plus booking fees for the Manchester rockers’ gigs at Dublin’s Croke Park.

Irish MEP Regina Doherty said the “in-demand” pricing structure needed to be examined, and urged the watchdog to launch a probe.

Oasis have also been contacted for comment.