Oasis is 'scalping' Irish consumers with high ticket prices, a Senator has claimed.
Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley is introducing a bill seeking to ban dynamic pricing after a frenzy for concert tickets last week led to prices as high as €500.
Dynamic pricing meant that prices rose on Ticketmaster in line with demand.
There have been calls for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to investigate Ticketmaster's pricing system following sharp increases in the cost of tickets for the British band's reunion.
'Oasis are the creators'
Senator Dooley told Newstalk he ultimately believes the artist is responsible for the prices people pay.
"In my humble opinion the band is that which are selling the tickets, they are using other people to facilitate that," he said.
"In my mind Oasis are the creators of the event, they are the creators of the material and that's what's on sale.
"The fact that they're using various different channels to sell to the market I don't think that the blame could lie there, it'll have to be done with the express permission of the band."
"So I do think they're scalping the Irish people on this one".
Senator Dooley said the legislation would seek to end what he called "online ticket touting".
"We have looked at [legislation] originally in relation to ticket touting - we see this as an online ticket touting operation," he said.
"All we're doing is extending the legislation to prevent ticket touting online."
Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage in Milan, 08-11-2008. Image: Fabio Diena / AlamyDuring an earlier debate on Newstalk Breakfast, presenter Ciara Kelly suggested politicians should reconsider interfering with the market.
"I don’t know that a politician's job is to come between wealthy fools and their money," she said.
"Let’s face it - nobody has to buy a ticket for Oasis, it’s not a necessity."
She pointed out that dynamic pricing exists everywhere in the market when demand is high.
"It exists in hotel rooms – when you’re down to the last two hotel rooms, turns out they’re dearer than when the hotel was empty," she said.
"[Dynamic pricing] only exists when the demand is high, and they’ll only get the money from you that you’re willing to pay.
"I don’t think it’s the job of politicians to interfere in the market of demand and supply."
Oasis will perform sold-out shows at Dublin's Croke Park on August 16th and 17th.
