Oasis promoters plan to cancel over 50,000 tickets for the band’s highly anticipated UK reunion tour that appeared on unauthorized resale platforms in a bid to combat ticket scalping.
The promoters, Live Nation and SJM, reportedly confirmed to BBC File on 4 that these invalidated tickets will be redistributed through the official channel, Ticketmaster, at their original face value.
The tour’s ticketing policy only allows purchases made through Ticketmaster or their authorized resale partner, Twickets, at face value.
“These terms and conditions were successfully put in place to take action against secondary ticketing companies reselling tickets for huge profit,” a spokesperson for Live Nation and SJM told the BBC.
The move comes after strong demand saw more than 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to secure tickets for the 2025 tour, despite only 1.4 million tickets being available during the August sale, the BBC said.
Within hours of the initial release, thousands of tickets emerged on secondary platforms at inflated prices, with some listings reaching £11,000 ($14,280) on Viagogo and £119,000 ($154,500) on StubHub, the report said.
While only 4% of tickets (close to 50,000) appeared on resale sites, the promoters said some major tours “can see up to 20% of tickets appearing via the major unauthorized secondary platforms.”
“These terms and conditions were successfully put in place to take action against secondary ticketing companies reselling tickets for huge profit.”
Live Nation and SJM
“All parties involved with the tour continue to urge fans not to purchase tickets from unauthorized websites as some of these may be fraudulent and others subject to cancellation,” the spokesperson added.
The promoters’ clampdown on resales met resistance from secondary ticket platform Viagogo. Matt Drew, the company’s business development executive, defended Viagogo’s position, telling BBC that 2% of Oasis tickets are on Viagogo and Stubhub.
“We will continue to sell them in the way the regulator says we can. We are serving a clear consumer need, we will continue doing it on that basis.”
BBC’s investigation revealed a global network of resellers including traders from Hawaii, Brazil, Dubai, and various European countries offering multiple tickets at premium prices.
Ticketmaster, the official seller of Oasis tickets, reported blocking 250 million suspicious activities during the first day of sale.
“We will continue to sell them in the way the regulator says we can. We are serving a clear consumer need, we will continue doing it on that basis.”
Matt Drew, Viagogo
The promoters also told BBC that fans whose tickets are cancelled in error will still be able to appeal through their ticket agent for case review.
The reunion tour, which marks Liam and Noel Gallagher’s first performances together since 2009, will kick off in Cardiff on July 4, 2025, before continuing to other major UK cities and international destinations, including the US, Japan, and Mexico.
The Oasis tour has already been embroiled in controversy over dynamic ticket pricing in the UK. Some fans paid more than GBP £350 ($450) for tickets initially priced at £150 ($195), prompting a probe into the use of ‘dynamic’ ticket pricing in the UK.
Oasis then publicly distanced themselves from the decisions that led to the use of Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing tools during the sale.
“It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used,” their statement read.
“While prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.”
Almost a month ago, Oasis confirmed that they would not use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model for the American leg of their tour.
“Ticketmaster‘s dynamic pricing model will not be applied to the forthcoming sale of tickets to Oasis concerts in North America,” the band said. “We have made this decision for the North America tour to hopefully avoid a repeat of the issues fans in the UK and Ireland experienced recently.”
Music Business Worldwide