Ticketmaster UK boss defends ‘very fair’ ticket prices before MPs
The head of Ticketmaster UK, Andrew Parsons, has defended the company’s pricing model before the business and trade select committee, asserting that ticket prices are “very fairly priced” despite backlash from fans.
Parsons’ appearance before MPs follows widespread criticism of ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” system, particularly concerning tickets for an oasis reunion tour last summer. Fans were left outraged after discovering they had paid up to £350 per ticket—around £200 more than the advertised price.
Prices set by event organisers
Addressing the committee, Parsons stressed that ticketmaster does not determine ticket prices. Instead, these are established ahead of sales by event organisers.
“Where differing price tiers are made available, that’s a choice of the event organiser. Selling a small amount of tickets at a higher-priced tier seems fairly reasonable,” he explained.
Many fans had expressed frustration at seeing ticket costs rise unexpectedly. However, Parsons refuted claims that prices fluctuated during a general sale, insisting that there was no automated or algorithm-driven system manipulating prices.
‘Not a computer or bot behind It’
“We work closely with event organisers to sell tickets at the prices they’ve determined,” Parsons told the MPs. “There’s no technology-driven change to those prices. They are the prices which humans have agreed to. There’s not a computer or a bot behind it.”
The controversy over pricing was further fuelled by comments from Oasis themselves, who distanced themselves from the pricing structure. In a statement, the band said: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management.”
Despite this, Parsons defended Ticketmaster’s role, arguing that premium pricing helps prevent resale exploitation. “If we’re not able to capture that value, which the artist is doing in those instances, then that money is just going to go, and the tickets are going to be captured and gobbled up by touts,” he stated.
Market dominance and regulatory scrutiny
The MPs did not question Parsons specifically about the Oasis ticketing debacle, as the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating whether Ticketmaster breached consumer-protection law.
Charlie Maynard MP urged the CMA to launch a separate investigation into the dominant market position of Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, the world’s largest live events promoter.
More Read
However, Parsons pushed back against concerns over monopolisation, claiming that Ticketmaster and Live Nation operate independently despite being under the same ownership. “We have clear divides between how we operate on a daily basis,” he said, adding that the UK ticketing market was “as competitive as any market in the world.”
Ticket resale and government crackdown
Ticketmaster UK has also taken issue with the government’s proposed 30% cap on ticket resale prices, intended to curb excessive profiteering by touts.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the crackdown last month, aiming to tackle those who bulk-buy tickets and then resell them for substantial markups. But Parsons argued that a 30% limit was still too lenient.
“30% still gives the opportunity for touts to be able to be running a business in that manner,” he said, suggesting that a stricter cap may be required.
As government scrutiny over ticket pricing and resale continues, the debate surrounding Ticketmaster’s pricing policies and market dominance shows no sign of abating. With both regulatory bodies and MPs calling for further investigations, fans will be keenly watching how the industry responds to growing concerns over fairness and accessibility in ticket sales.
