Labour ministers launch ticket value cap probe after Oasis reunion tour debacle which noticed seats being bought for 40 occasions their face worth by touts

A move to stop ‘organised’ touts from fleecing music and sports fans was announced yesterday amid proposals for a cap on ticket resale prices.

Ministers have also put out a ‘call for evidence’ about the controversial practice of ‘dynamic pricing’ on official ticketing sites, which caused fury during the summer when tickets for the Oasis reunion dates went on sale.

The public consultation will consider views on capping resale prices on a range from the original price to up to a 30 per cent uplift, as well as limiting the number of tickets resellers can list to the maximum they are allowed to purchase on the primary market.

The measures would aim to prevent organised touts from reselling a large number of tickets at vastly inflated prices and disincentivise industrial-scale touting.

Plans also include creating new legal obligations for ticket resale websites and apps so that they are held responsible by Trading Standards and the CMA for the accuracy of information they provide to fans.

Trading Standards can already issue fines of up to £5,000 for ticketing rule breaches, but the consultation will consider whether this cap should be increased.

The Government has made the move amid growing anger from people trying to buy tickets for concerts and other major events.

There is huge concern about the way professional touts bulk-buying tickets for popular concerts before reselling them at hugely inflated prices.

Noel and Liam Gallagher pose for a photo together to mark the Oasis comeback tour

Ministers have also put out a ‘call for evidence’ about the controversial practice of ‘dynamic pricing’ on official ticketing sites, which caused fury during the summer when tickets for the Oasis reunion dates went on sale

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘The chance to see your favourite musicians or sports team live is something all of us enjoy and everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets – but for too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices’

Group portrait of British rock band Oasis at Nomad Studios in Manchester in 1993

In the summer, the sale of tickets for Oasis’ long-awaited reunion sparked widespread fury.

At one point it was reported that tickets for the concerts were selling on resale sites for more than £6,000, about 40 times more than what was meant to be the face value of a standing ticket.

But the controversy over the Oasis ticket sale also centred around complaints that the official ticket seller Ticketmaster was using ‘dynamic pricing’, which raises prices when demand is high.

Fans were left stunned when tickets shot up from £148 to £355 on what became known as ‘Supersonic Saturday’. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Ticketmaster over the issue.

Among those backing the move are DJ Fatboy Slim who believes it is ‘great to see money being put back into fans pockets instead of resellers’.

The 61-year-old told The Mirror: ‘Fully behind this effort to make sure more people can enjoy incredible arts and music events across the country without being ripped off. 

‘It is part of the change this government were elected to make.’

His comments come were Oasis are not the only music act to have attracted the touts with Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay fans also seeing prices rocket.

Among those backing the move are DJ Fatboy Slim who believes it is ‘great to see money being put back into fans pockets instead of resellers’

At one point, the reselling website Viagogo was listing tickets for the Wembley July 25 gig for between £761 and £5,369

Meanwhile, for the Manchester July 11 gig, tickets on Viagogo cost between £687 and £9,041

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy added: ‘The chance to see your favourite musicians or sports team live is something all of us enjoy and everyone deserves a fair shot at getting tickets – but for too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices.’

‘As part of our Plan for Change, we are taking action to strengthen consumer protections, stop fans getting ripped off and ensure money spent on tickets goes back into our incredible live events sector, instead of into the pockets of greedy touts.’

A Ticketmaster spokesman said: ‘Ticketmaster is committed to making ticketing simple and transparent.

‘Since 2018, our resale has been capped at face value, providing fans a safe place to sell tickets they can’t use at the original price set by artists and event organisers.

‘We support proposals to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap. We also urge the Government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales.’