“Don’t Look Back in Anger”: how the Oasis tour reformed ticketing transparency

Stanley Stephens, Solicitor

The long-awaited Oasis comeback in 2024 was always going to make headlines, but few anticipated its legacy would be regulatory reform of the sale of tickets on secondary websites. Following widespread criticism of Ticketmaster’s use of dynamic pricing and unclear ticket labelling, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) has secured formal undertakings from Ticketmaster to change its sale practices. These commitments mark a significant step forward in consumer protection and set new standards that organisers and ticketing platforms will need to adhere to.

The Oasis Controversy and the CMAs Response

In April 2025 the UK was abuzz with unprecedented demand for Oasis tickets. Incredibly high prices of these tickets became a real talking point. Fans reported that ticket costs surged while they waited in online queues and that “platinum” tickets were being sold at up to 2.5 times the price of standard tickets- despite offering no additional benefits and being in the same part of the arena. Standing tickets were also being sold in two tiers- with cheaper tickets being released before more expensive ones became available.

In September 2024, the CMA launched an investigation into whether Ticketmaster’s practices breached consumer law by misleading customers and placing them under unfair pressure to buy tickets quickly. While dynamic pricing itself is not unlawful, the absence of transparency around its operation raised serious concerns.

By September 2025, the CMA announced that it had accepted voluntary undertakings from Ticketmaster, designed to address these issues and ensure clearer, fairer sales practices in the future.

Ticketmaster’s Undertakings

Ticketmaster has since agreed to a series of transparency measures, which must be implemented within six weeks. These will also be monitored through regular compliance reports over the next two years. They include:

• Advanced notice of tiered pricing– fans will be given 24 hours’ notice that tiered pricing will be used with a clear explanation of what this means.
• Real-time pricing information in queues– consumers must be told the full range of prices when they join an online queue and updated when the cheaper tickets sell out.
• Accurate ticket labelling– misleading terms such as “platinum” are prohibited, fans must be told what they are purchasing clearly and why one ticket is better than another.
• Regular reports to the CMA– Ticketmaster must provide reports on these implementations at regular six-month intervals for a period of two years to ensure compliance.

Although there was no admission of wrongdoing by Ticketmaster, it has already stopped using “platinum” labelling in the UK.

Consumer Protections In Practice

It is hoped that these changes will provide consumers with better, more meaningful protection. Advanced notice of tiered pricing means fans will no longer be pressured into buying tickets at higher-than-expected prices within a short period of time. Real-time updates prevent wasted hours in digital queues without clarity on ticket price. Fans will now also understand exactly what they are paying for with the introduction of clearer labelling.

Ticketmaster’s undertaking coincides with the introduction of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which came into force in April 2025. The CMA now has the power to impose fines of up to 10% of turnover for breaches of consumer law. Although the Oasis sale pre-dated the Act, future events will take place under its strengthened enforcement powers.

Implications For Event Management

The aftermath of the sale of Oasis tickets highlights several lessons for event organisers and ticketing partners:

1. Transparency is mandatory- the CMA has made it clear that confusing pricing practices and pressure on customers is not consistent with consumer protection. Organisers need to ensure ticketing partners provide upfront, accessible information about pricing practices.
2. Labelling must be accurate– Organisers can no longer use premium-sounding terms without genuine added value.
3. Monitoring will be ongoing- Ticketmaster’s reporting obligations highlight the CMA will be keeping a close eye on compliance.
4. Future reforms are likely– the Labour government’s election manifesto in 2024 pledged that consultations on ticket resale, price caps and platform accountability, and further regulation on the events sector are in-bound.

Final Thoughts

The Oasis tour certainly left its mark not only on fans who were lucky enough to be in the audience, but also with the CMA. It exposed major incompatibility of dynamic pricing with consumer rights and accelerated discussions on reform. Ticketmaster is now bound by transparency commitments with the CMA (who are also armed with tougher enforcement powers) meaning consumers are better protected from unfair ticketing practices.

For event managers, the message is clear: adopt transparent, consumer-friendly practices now, or risk regulatory intervention later. The ticketing industry need not look back in anger but look forward with greater clarity.

Contributors: Imogen Unwin, Trainee Solicitor