Oasis praises anti-scalping laws

Photo Credit: Crisco 1492 / CC by 4.0

Oasis applauds Victoria for its strict anti-scalping laws that shut bad actors out of its three sold-out Melbourne shows.

British pop duo Oasis has praised Victoria for its efforts to crack down on scalpers, effectively shutting them out of the band’s three sold-out shows at Docklands near Melbourne. According to the band’s management team, Victoria’s Major Events Act, in particular, thwarted ticket resale site Viagogo.

“It’s great to see Victoria’s Major Events Declaration doing exactly what it’s meant to—Viagogo can’t list our Melbourne shows—and that’s a huge win for real fans,” said a member of the Oasis management team in a statement to the Herald Sun.

“When government and the live industry work together, we can stop large-scale scalping in its tracks. We’d love to see other states follow Victoria’s lead so fans everywhere get a fair go.”

Approximately 180,000 tickets were sold in Melbourne to “genuine fans.” In Victoria, tickets sold for more than 10% above their face value for an event deemed “major” under the Major Events Act can be fined between AUD $908 and $545,000.

Meanwhile, Viagogo had about 40 listings on Tuesday for Oasis shows at Sydney’s Accor Stadium—exceeding the New South Wales legal cap, which limits resales to no more than 10% above face value. The same could not be said for listings in Victoria.

“Fans have an insatiable appetite to see the UK legends live, and by declaring this event, Live Nation is committed to making sure fans aren’t preyed on by scalpers,” said Chairman of Live Nation Australasia Michael Coppel of the Oasis tour, which he called “one of the most highly anticipated of this decade.”

Oasis is playing a third and final show at Docklands’ Marvel Stadium on Tuesday night.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) remain interested in pursuing Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation to curb scalping. The success of laws like the Major Events Act in Australia could serve as a blueprint for enacting similar legislation in North America.