MPs raise concerns over ‘climate of fear’ in live music industry
MPs have raised concerns about a “climate of fear” in the live music industry and called for an investigation into potential market dominance in the sector.
In a report released on Sunday, the Business and Trade Committee said the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) should look into the industry and highlighted evidence they had received regarding ticketing company Live Nation.
In primary ticketing last year, Live Nation directly controlled 58% of the 23.1 million tickets on sale that year, the committee said, adding this increased to 66% if sales controlled by its affiliate companies are included.
The committee said many of those who provided evidence to the report had done so on the condition of anonymity, which had raised further concerns for the MPs.
Committee chairman Liam Byrne said: “What particularly alarmed the committee was not just the scale of Live Nation’s market position across promotion, venues and ticketing, but the climate of fear we encountered during this inquiry.
“A striking number of submissions requested anonymity because people were worried about the consequences of speaking openly.
“That alone raises profound questions about the health of competition in the market.”
The MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North said the UK’s live music scene was “one of our great national success stories” but evidence submitted to the inquiry raised concerns about “whether competition in the industry is now working fairly for fans, artists, venues and independent promoters”.
“The CMA should now launch a full market investigation, before the end of this year, so there can be proper scrutiny of whether consumers, artists and independent businesses are getting a fair deal,” Mr Byrne added.
Other concerns raised included a lack of uptake on an industry led levy on arena and stadium tickets to support the grassroots sector which has been widely attributed to Live Nation not implementing the levy, the committee said.
Live Nation also uses long-term agreements with restrictive exclusivity terms, making access to its venues contingent on participation in its festivals or vice versa, according to the report.
This incentivises artists to consolidate touring plans with the company and reduces opportunities for competing promoters and events, the committee said.
The report comes after a CMA investigation was launched into the way Ticketmaster sold Oasis tickets in 2024.
The probe found Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
Live Nation is the parent company of Ticketmaster.
A Government spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves a fair chance to see their favourite artists live, which is why vendors are required by law to be transparent about their ticket prices.
“We have also strengthened the CMA’s powers to ensure it can investigate and take action against businesses that breach competition and consumer law.”
Rocio Concha, Which? head of policy and advocacy, said the report raised serious competition concerns in the live music sector, and the CMA should seriously consider the committee’s call for a full market investigation.
“The scale and scope of Live Nation’s vertical integration, and their control of ticket sales, appear to have created an ecosystem that squeezes out competition. The upshot is that fans get a raw deal with high prices and few alternatives,” she said.
A CMA spokesperson said: “The CMA will respond to the committee’s report on its inquiry, once it is published, having taken careful account of its findings and other relevant developments, to set out our next steps.
“As set out in our submission, we are giving active and careful consideration to undertaking markets work in this area.”
A Live Nation UK spokesperson said: “This 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.
“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.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub