The Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee is pressing
the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a full
market investigation into the UK's live music industry before the
end of the year.
In a May Report, the Committee set out extensive concerns about Live
Nation's dominance across promotion, venues, festivals and
ticketing, and identified a climate of fear around dominant firms
in the industry.
MPs have been pursuing the issue with the CMA since widespread
fan dismay over ticket sales for Oasis' reunion tour. Despite the
evidence presented by the Committee, the CMA has yet to announce
a full market investigation.
The Committee is now repeating its call for urgent action to
ensure fair competition and a live music industry that works for
performers, grassroots venues and fans.
Its report found that:
- Concerns about Live Nation's position raised red flags
against all three of the CMA's factors for assessing market
dominance.
- The scale and integrated nature of Live Nation's business
made it difficult for artists and managers to operate
independently of its network.
- Live Nation used long-term agreements with restrictive
exclusivity terms, making access to its venues contingent on
participation in its festivals.
- Live Nation directly controlled 58% of the 23.1 million
primary tickets on sale in 2025, rising to 66% when sales
controlled by affiliated companies were included.
- Its control of ticketing infrastructure allowed it to retain
customer data, including from competitors, for use across
promotion, marketing and event operations.
- Limited uptake of the voluntary levy on arena and stadium
tickets to support grassroots music was widely attributed to Live
Nation's failure to implement it.
The Committee is writing back to the CMA asking for details and a
timeline of their next steps.
Chair comment
Rt Hon MP, Chair of the Committee,
said:
Britain's live music industry should reward talent, not simply
market power. We found a climate of fear, barriers for artists
and grassroots venues missing out. It's clear to us that the CMA
must launch a full investigation for the simple reason that fans
and performers deserve a fair deal - and they deserve it now.
