Photo Credit: Gene Simmons by Tilly Antoine / CC by 4.0
Gene Simmons shrugs off Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing of Oasis’ reunion tickets as capitalism in action. ‘Don’t like [it]? Don’t buy a ticket.’
Oasis’ reunion tour has shined the light yet again on Ticketmaster, with the Live Nation ticket provider under scrutiny for its dynamic pricing practices affecting the highly sought-after tickets. But KISS’ Gene Simmons believes that’s just capitalism in action, baby.
In an in-depth interview with Forbes, the 75-year-old rocker said Oasis fans who are upset by the price of the band’s reunion tickets and feel entitled to fair pricing are actually “entitled to f— off.”
“You have the ultimate power, supply and demand!” said Simmons. “Whatever the pricing is, it’s all academic. Somebody sits in a room and tries to figure out how far the rubber band can stretch. And if you’re not selling tickets, guess what happens? The price goes down. Capitalism! If you don’t want to pay that amount, don’t go.” He concluded, “Vote with [your] money. You don’t like the ticket pricing? Don’t buy a ticket.”
Oasis announced their highly anticipated reunion tour in late August — nearly 15 years since brother Liam and Noel Gallagher broke up in 2009. Tickets for the initial dates sold out within hours on August 31, leaving many fans empty-handed. Those who did secure tickets were met with dynamic pricing due to the extremely high demand, which led to prices surging, sparking an investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The Gallagher brothers spoke out about the dynamic pricing earlier this month, clarifying that they “leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management,” and were unaware that dynamic pricing was going to be used. “All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience,” the band’s statement read. “But due to the unprecedented demand, this became impossible to achieve.”
The band added more shows, the tickets for which can only be secured through “a special invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy.”
