The Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee of MPs has called for a probe into Live Nation.
The 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 its 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 following concerns expressed by fans over ticket sales for Oasis’ 2025 reunion tour. Ultimately, the CMA found no evidence of dynamic pricing on the Oasis tour. It subsequently secured commitments on the fair treatment of fans from Ticketmaster.
Following the evidence presented by the Committee earlier this year, the CMA has yet to announce a full market investigation.
The latest development in the UK coincides with action by the FTC against Live Nation’s Ticketmaster arm over alleged violations of the US BOTS Act. In a filing, Live Nation has now hit back against the “misguided” lawsuit, arguing that it “sets back the fight against scalpers”.
Six months ago, a federal jury found that Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation have operated monopolies in live event markets in the US and overcharged fans
The UK committee of MPs 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.
Britain’s live music industry should reward talent, not simply market power
Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne 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.”
In response to the committee earlier this year, Live Nation said the report "misrepresents the UK live music industry by relying on inaccurate data and unsupported conclusions".
"Live Nation competes every day for tours, venues and artists in a highly competitive market," said a company spokesperson. “We will engage constructively with any process that benefits artists, fans and the wider industry, but debate about the sector must be based on evidence, not allegation and hearsay.”
Music Week understands that Live Nation has disputed the market share of UK ticket sales stated in the report.
In a statement responding the original report, the CMA said: "We will continue to carefully analyse the Committee’s evidence and engage with stakeholders across the supply chain to undertake our own initial assessment of potential harms in the market, including careful consideration of whether future CMA work could deliver
benefits for consumers and the wider economy. As set out above, we are planning for the CMA Board to consider whether to undertake formal markets work in this area in the autumn, and we will write to the Committee with an update following that consideration."
In response to the report, Kate Dearden MP, Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, wrote to the committee.
"We will continue to engage closely with the CMA on developments in the live events market, but we do not consider it appropriate for government to pre-empt or direct the use of the CMA’s statutory powers," she said. "This approach maintains the integrity of the UK’s competition framework, while ensuring that the regulator remains able to act decisively in the interests of consumers where the evidence justifies it."
FOLLOW 
