An aerial shot of Sydney, Australia. Photo Credit: Jamie Davies
Amid continued concert-price pushback from fans, the Australian government has revealed plans to ban dynamic pricing outright and implement a number of other measures targeting the ticketing sector.
Regional outlets just recently highlighted the promised regulatory initiatives, billed by the current administration as components of a broader policy package that will roll out ahead of the island nation’s 2025 elections.
Keeping the focus on the package itself as opposed to the early regional coverage, the Australian government today underscored plans to tackle dynamic pricing, referring specifically to any online listing where “a product’s price changes during the transaction process.”
As many already know, that description definitely extends to live-event tickets, the prices of which frequently enter the stratosphere due to consumer demand as well as dynamic pricing. Last month, for example, Australian fans saw Green Day concert passes begin fetching massive sums.
Importantly, however, acts themselves can choose to forgo dynamic pricing – Iron Maiden recently did so, as did Oasis for its North American tour leg – and it’s unclear whether eliminating the option will bring about the desired effects.
Without diving too far into the multifaceted topic, dynamic pricing can only elevate ticket costs in the first place because customers are willing to shell out considerable amounts of cash to attend limited-availability happenings.
Halting these automatic pricing adjustments, which have admittedly gone off the rails in some instances, probably won’t curb the underlying demand or the pricing-related byproducts thereof. But from a policy perspective, the move might make sense; even those who score hard-to-get tickets are presumably far from thrilled about paying an arm and a leg.
Besides the possible demise of dynamic pricing Down Under, fans could see an attempt to do away with “‘drip pricing’ practices where fees are hidden or added throughout the stages of a purchase.”
Of course, “hidden” and “junk” fees are also the target of stateside scrutiny, but like with axing dynamic pricing, the ultimate effects of outlawing the charges by mandating “all-in” models remain the subject of continued discussion.
Lastly, in terms of the regulatory measures that could affect concert tickets in Australia, the current administration says it’s further plotting a crackdown on “online practices that aim to confuse or overwhelm consumers, omit or hide material information, or create a false sense of urgency or scarcity.”
This includes “warnings that a customer only has limited time to purchase a product,” per the relevant text. As to where things go from here, the Treasury Department intends to “consult on the design before the Government legislates a general prohibition on unfair trading practices,” according to the government-penned outline.
Bigger picture, we aren’t without ticketing laws (and laws in the making), investigations, and litigation outside Australia, where, incidentally, Four Corners recently took aim at Live Nation with an exposé. Internationally, perhaps most conspicuous on this front is the DOJ antitrust suit aiming to separate Live Nation and Ticketmaster, though the latter is facing a new dynamic-pricing probe in the U.K. as well.
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