Regurgitator Slam Dynamic Ticketing

Aussie favourites Regurgitator have weighed in on an ongoing dynamic pricing conversation, saying that the controversial practice “lacks decency and respect for [the] audience.”

Regurgitator posted a lengthy statement on social media with a link to a The Guardian article called “Bands urged to oppose dynamic pricing of concert tickets after Oasis ‘fiasco.’”

In case you missed it: following last week’s news of Oasis reuniting for a string of shows in the UK and Europe next year, the ticket sale didn’t go as smoothly as fans were hoping, with thousands of punters stuck in Ticketmaster queues only to get through and find that ticket prices had doubled in comparison to their advertised price due to demand for tickets.

Oasis have since stated that they didn’t know dynamic pricing would be used for the recent ticket sale for their upcoming tour and announced two new dates at Wembley Stadium, where fans can only receive tickets via “staggered invitation-only ballot.”

UK 🇬🇧
Two extra Wembley Stadium shows have been added due to phenomenal demand.
Tickets will be sold by a staggered, invitation-only ballot process. Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many UK fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with… pic.twitter.com/Dpfhk49va3

— Oasis (@oasis) September 4, 2024

In July 2022, Bruce Springsteen was caught in a dynamic pricing controversy when tickets to the Boss’s 2023 tour offered through early access were priced between $1,000 and $5,000. In response to their hero implementing the practice, Christopher Phillips, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the long-running Springsteen fan-zine, Backstreets, announced the end of the publication in an editorial.

This week (4 September), Regurgitator made it clear that they unequivocally disapprove of dynamic pricing.

“First and foremost, it is of utmost import that the music artist, their management, and other representatives respect their audience, treating them with dignity and ethical consideration,” the band stated.

Adding that their audience is “everything relative to ongoing and financial existence”, and without them, Regurgitator would “wither away to not very much,” they still refuse to price their tickets at outrageously high prices.

They continued, “We know that our audience engages with and supports our creativity. We also appreciate and understand this is a special relationship that traverses a range of engagements of which emotion is a significant aspect.

“Music works on emotion as much as intellect and physical engagements. We would never willingly take advantage of, exploit the trust you place in us, or manipulate this consensual and mutual engagement for the sake of excessive financial gain.”

To Regurgitator, seeking excessive financial gain “suggests a form of extortionate behaviour” that takes advantage of their fans.

“When we say we respect and appreciate our fan base, this is exactly what we mean - we care about the people who have attached themselves to us as music artists and our creative work in complex emotional ways because as much as it is all of that, it is also transactional,” they continued. “Your support and participation provides the base for our ongoing creative work.”

Writing that they face increased costs as a touring band, Regurgitator added that finding a balance is of the utmost importance.

“Dynamic ticketing relative to ‘demand’ lacks decency and respect for audience - whether demand for tickets is small or large, it should not be subject to a shifting ticket price particularly as it is the ticketing outlet both offering the service, controlling and administering the ticketing process that then impacts the scale of accessibility relative to those that get in early which accelerates the demand, so that those that have limited choice to access tickets later in the queue then pay more,” the band wrote.

In conclusion, Regurgitator left fans with this reassuring message: “Know that with certainty we will never cross that line. There is definitely no maybe to it.”

At the end of their post, Regurgitator tagged ticketing company Oztix with whom the band have worked with for past tours.

In a statement to The Music, the Founder and Director of the company, Brian Chladil, said:

“Big Ups to the ‘Gurge and Paul [Curtis] their manager for the sentiments expressed in their post about dynamic pricing and it’s nice to be tagged, rarely are we part of a positive news story. They are, of course, 100% correct.”

Adding that buying concert tickets to see your favourite artist is an “emotional purchase,” Chladil continued, “The connection between artist and fan is a bond unlike any other, and [disrespecting] that bond by charging more just because more people want to see you is pretty immoral.

“As the ‘Gurge said, it’s also disrespectful. It’s also interesting that only the superstars use dynamic pricing, being the artists or bands who already know they are going to sell out. By the way, [there is] no point blaming the ticket company; there is only one person who sets the prices: the artist or band manager. Once again, the people with loads of money get an advantage over the people who don’t.

“The bands should set prices to where they think they sit in the market and be happy to make - all so Oztix won’t be engaging in any of that greedy palaver.”

The Music has contacted Live Nation, owner of Ticketmaster, for comment but have not received a response at the time of printing. After the previous controversy surrounding Bruce Springsteen tickets in 2022, a Live Nation spokesperson said:

“Promoters and artist representatives set pricing strategy and price range parameters on all tickets, including dynamic and fixed price points.”

“Ticketmaster has created analytical tools that use historical and real-time data to help quantify supply and demand to determine prices. The promoters and artist representatives then determine the specific pricing for their shows.

“The biggest factor that drives pricing is supply and demand. When there are far more people who want to attend an event than there are tickets available, prices go up. If prices were under market value at the onsale, they frequently resell on the secondary market at higher price points.

“Dynamic pricing is about capturing more value for the artist at the initial onsale, vs that value going to people reselling tickets on the secondary market. Similar to airlines and hotels - prices adjust up or down based on demand.”