Debate contribution: Dynamic Pricing
Debate contribution by Mr Colm Gildernew on .
- MLA
- Mr Colm Gildernew
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 16 September 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Dynamic Pricing
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4532666
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
The motion is about highlighting the need for fairness and transparency for the consumer and the music artist when it comes to the practice of dynamic pricing, which, depending on demand, adjusts the market value of tickets and products. While prices can go down as well as up, I have been contacted recently by constituents who were seeking to buy tickets for the Oasis reunion tour and ended up paying up to 100% more than the advertised price. Consumer law is clear: ticket sale sites must be transparent in their dealings with consumers and give clear and accurate information about the price that people will have to pay. Therefore, I welcome the decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate Ticketmaster, and I take this opportunity to encourage people who bought or attempted to buy tickets for the Oasis concerts to participate in that inquiry and have their say. Rather than entering into a fair transaction, people enter what is, effectively, a lottery process, with the actual price of a ticket not being known until hours after they first entered the waiting queue and are completing their ticket purchasing process. I recognise that dynamic pricing is used in multiple industries and across various sectors, but buying tickets is unlike buying holidays, for example, where an individual can use an alternative airline or resort where there will be a range of flight and accommodation options. Ticketmaster has a monopoly in the live concert market. Thousands of fans have been left disappointed and frustrated by what can only be described as price gouging by Ticketmaster. The hike in costs as a result of using dynamic pricing is not unique to the Oasis concerts or Ticketmaster, but it highlights a growing problem that needs to be addressed to prevent people being exploited. I acknowledge the massive contribution that musicians, artists, bands and all those involved in the music and arts sector bring to society. The benefits are social, economic and creative, keeping us right at the leading edge of the arts on an international basis and, indeed, allowing us to punch way above our weight in that respect, attracting visitors, goodwill and investment to our island in a way that few others manage. We absolutely need to protect and better and fairly support the sector in order to allow that creativity to flourish and grow. We also need to protect the music fans in working-class communities who helped to launch the careers of artists such as Oasis but are now suffering as a result of these price hikes. Another major issue is that such eye-watering ticket prices are not reflective of what participants in the wider music industry, particularly artists at a grassroots level, receive. Indeed, the live music industry has encountered significant challenges in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 Arts Council research on the working and living conditions of artists here showed that 80% of respondents saw financial barriers as a challenge, 59% did not feel secure in their role, 54% did not feel valued, and over half indicated that they would consider permanently relocating for better career opportunities. That would, indeed, be a sad loss for us all. We need to see a proactive response to supporting the music industry as a whole, and one that deals with the challenges of dynamic pricing. Therefore, in order to ensure that the sale of tickets is open and transparent, allowing people to make an informed choice before entering the queue in the knowledge that, should they make it to the top, they will be in a position to make their purchase, I urge the CMA to provide recommendations on how ticket providers and music promoters could be prohibited from engaging in dynamic pricing. I ask all Members to support the motion.
638 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.63 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.32 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.02 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.