Oasis: Viagogo exec says ‘broken’ gig ticketing system ‘isn’t fit for purpose’

An executive at ticket reseller Viagogo has said the current ticketing system for gigs “isn’t fit for purpose”, describing it as a “broken space”.

It comes after many Oasis fans missed out on tickets for the band’s reunion concerts, as they battled website issues and being mislabelled as bots.

Fans were also left shocked by standard tickets more than doubling from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster, due to dynamic pricing for the tour, which will be the band’s first since breaking up in 2009.

Matt Drew, who handles international business development for the ticket marketplace, told the PA news agency the issues were a result of “significant problems” in the industry.

He told PA: “The issues we saw on Saturday with the Oasis sale are without question indicative of significant problems in this space, really what is a broken space, which needs fixing top to bottom

“I was trying to get tickets, it was chaotic.

“It really isn’t how fans should be treated, when all they’re trying to do is is see one of their favourite bands in one of the biggest gigs of the year.

“So the idea that you’re dumped in a queue, which is a pre-queue to a much bigger queue, that there are 500,000 people in front of you, you get thrown out of the queue and put back to the start, you get accused of being a bot and told you can’t buy a ticket.

“And then, perhaps worst of all, when you finally get there, and you’re thrilled that you actually feel like you’re able to buy a ticket, and at the price that you’ve seen, and been told, and then you get there, and you see at the very end that actually no, really sorry, that’s now nearly three times the price.

“It’s just a mess of an experience.

“Now, these were highly anticipated gigs, much like Taylor Swift this year and much like Beyonce in the year before, where there were certainly similar issues at play.

“So I think what happened on Saturday was something that shone a light on this issue for a broader number of people.

“Those of us who have worked in this space, and Viagogo has operated for 20 plus years very successfully, getting people into concerts and other live events.

“We’re obviously aware that these inherent issues existed, and we’ve been saying for some time that this is an industry that needs much more competition.

“It needs much more of a focus on the fan and their experience, and it needs to be opened up and made much more transparent so that we can avoid the fiascos that we that we saw on Saturday.”

He added: “We think the system at the moment isn’t fit for purpose.”

Mr Drew was then asked by PA how his platform could guarantee Oasis fans entry to concerts, given the band had told fans that only tickets bought on Twickets and Ticketmaster would guarantee entry.

“We offer a complete and comprehensive guarantee,” he said.

“So in the incredibly rare instances that people do not get into a concert, not necessarily for the reason you just described, but for whatever it could be.

“Whatever reason that it may not work out, a tiny fraction of eventualities, the way that actually happens, there’s a full guarantee, so buyers either get all of their money back, or they get a replacement ticket for the event and they get to go anyway.

“So we feel very confident about this particular topic.”

Mr Drew’s comments come after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts for the Oasis gigs.