The Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill aims to bring transparency of ticket prices for live events like gigs and sporting occasions.
The proposed law was discussed in the House of Commons by Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton Rupa Huq, ahead of its potential introduction into UK law.
Following the controversial sale of tickets for the Oasis reunion next year, the MP – who was one of the millions of fans who tried to bag a ticket – wants clearer information for fans hoping to attend gigs in the future.
The new law would guarantee fans know how much the ticket could rise in price from the start of the ticket-purchasing stage.
Under current rules, as millions of Oasis fans found out on 31 August, ticket prices can be advertised for one price but if there is high demand can be hiked to a new rate.
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On Ticketmaster, the cost of a standing spot at the Gallagher brothers’ shows in Manchester, London, Dublin and Glasgow shot up from the advertised £148.50 to £355.20 when after hours of queuing, fans finally got through to entering their payment details.
After the furore caused by the pricing, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a probe into the way Ticketmaster sold tickets to the Oasis Live ’25 tour.
Its investigation will evaluate whether the website applied “unfair commercial practices” and if fans were put under pressure to purchase the surged ticketing price.
The next stage for the Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill is a second reading to be discussed in Parliament on 6 December.
Rupa Huq orchestrated the proposals after her experiences trying to bag a ticket for the first Oasis shows in what will be 16 years in 2025.
‘Scandalised to see recent situation with Oasis tickets’
Huq said to PA News Agency: “As a lifelong music fan, I, like many of the nation, was scandalised to see the recent situation where people were queuing up for the best part of a day to get Oasis tickets.
“And the pressure is immense when you’re refreshing for six hours to find yourself then finally at the top of the queue, you feel you have to go for it, but by then the ticket is five times the price of what you thought it was when advertised.
“From a consumer protection point of view, our constituents would like some certainty and so this Bill would enshrine in statute a maximum price.”
Huq added: “There should be some certainty, some predictability, particularly as we’re in a cost-of-living crisis.
“But even irrespective of that there needs to be some fairness in the process because it feels as if the consumer balance is wrong and the ticket merchants can literally double it, triple it, think of a number, infinity and beyond.
“Some of the leading pressure groups and industry bodies think it’s high time that this happened because fans just shouldn’t be ripped off.”
She confirmed that this bill wouldn’t outlaw dynamic pricing but “is just introducing transparency and certainty” to the ticket-purchasing market.
