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Committee publication · Report · 24 May 2026 · HC 128

3rd Report – Competition and market functioning in the UK live music industry

From: Business and Trade Committee

Inquiry: Competition and market functioning in the UK live music industry

Government response deadline: 24 July 2026

Summary

The Business and Trade Committee examined competition in the UK live music industry, prompted by consumer complaints over Ticketmaster's Oasis ticket sales. The inquiry concludes that Live Nation Entertainment, a vertically integrated company controlling ticketing, venues, promotion and artist management, dominates multiple market segments, harming competition. The Committee recommends the CMA launch a full market investigation by end-2026, finding evidence against all three CMA factors for determining market dominance.

Key findings

  • Live Nation controls 58% of primary ticket sales (66% including affiliates) out of 23.1 million UK tickets sold in 2025, with substantial market share across artist management, promotion, venue ownership, and festivals.
  • Live Nation uses restrictive exclusivity terms, long-term agreements, and conditional access arrangements that disadvantage independent promoters, venues, and competing ticketing platforms.
  • Vertical integration allows Live Nation to cross-subsidise lower-margin activities with higher profits from ticketing, enabling it to offer exclusive artist contracts and absorb losses smaller competitors cannot match.
  • Evidence of detrimental impact on grassroots music venues and independent festivals, which face reduced access to major artists due to consolidated market control.
  • US federal jury (April 2026) found Live Nation illegally maintained a monopoly; DoJ settlement ongoing; Netherlands and Austria authorities have taken enforcement action against Ticketmaster restrictions.

Recommendations

  • The CMA must undertake a full market investigation into the live music industry as a priority, launched before the end of 2026, as anything less would be insufficient to fully grasp the extent of suspected competition harms.
  • The CMA should use its information-gathering powers to fully investigate entanglement of major companies and assess the extent of market integration within the sector, addressing lack of transparency on ownership and controlling interests.
  • The industry and Live Nation in particular should fully support the industry-led levy on arena and stadium tickets as suggested by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in 2024 and endorsed by Government, to support grassroots music.

Tone

Critical

Topics

competition-lawlive-music-industrymarket-dominanceticketingvertical-integration

Key actors

Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Liam Byrne (Committee Chair), Phil Bowdery (Live Nation Executive President), Andrew Parsons (Ticketmaster Managing Director UK/Ireland), Emma Cochrane (CMA Acting Executive Director Consumer Protection), Association of Independent Festivals

Notable line

“Live Nation is "involved in almost every aspect of the UK live music industry" 34 and the competitive harm that flows from this means consumers may be paying higher prices whilst large multinational companies profit.”

Key Quotes

“"[t]hat is not something I recognise… We have clear divides between how we operate … it is an incredibly competitive market within the UK." 17 Business and Trade …”
— Andrew Parsons, Ticketmaster Managing Director UK and Ireland · Responding to suggestion that Live Nation has dominant market share across multiple sectors and massive vertical integration
“Nation] are very good at what we do. Therefore, there is interest from the major artists to be with Live Nation." 19 Live Nation wrote …”
— Phil Bowdery, Live Nation Executive President · Explaining Live Nation's large market share in arenas and stadia
“At the moment, as of today, we do not have evidence that gets us over the threshold to open an investigation.”
— Emma Cochrane, CMA Acting Executive Director of Consumer Protection · CMA response on whether it had grounds to investigate Ticketmaster for market abuse
“We believe that the oral and written evidence gathered by the Committee raises concerns against all three of the CMA factors for determining market dominance.”
— Business and Trade Committee · Committee conclusion on Live Nation's dominant position
“"[i]f you don't play their venues …”
— Dean James, co-founder MAMA group · Describing Live Nation's conditional access arrangements linking venue and festival participation
“A significant proportion of these were submitted anonymously or confidentially due to fear of reprisal primarily from Live Nation.”
— Business and Trade Committee · On responses to Committee's call for written evidence
“The Committee is convinced that the evidence we have gathered sufficiently demonstrates that the behaviour of Live Nation Entertainment and other vertically integrated companies in the UK live music industry is harming competition.”
— Business and Trade Committee · Committee's overall conclusion from inquiry evidence
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗

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