Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) CEO John Rostron has welcomed the newly announced Parliamentary inquiry into the UK’s live music industry.
The Business and Trade Committee of MPs is exploring issues impacting competition and market functioning within the UK’s live music industry, including the role of the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) in regulation of the sector.
This work is following on from oral evidence sessions held earlier this year.
The committee has called for written submissions on trends within the UK live music industry that may adversely impact market competition or market functioning. The deadline is December 18.
Key questions for consideration include:
– How concentrated is the UK live music industry in each part of the industry, for example, event promotion, small, medium and large venues, and ticketing platforms?
– How do relationships between artists, promoters, venues and ticketing platforms shape competition?
– How does competition vary across different parts of the industry - for example, small venues vs. arenas, or festivals vs. tours?
– Do regional differences across the UK affect how competitive the live music market is?
MPs also want to hear from stakeholders and organisations on whether they have seen behaviour in the industry that harms competition or consumers. The committee also raises the question of whether the CMA is doing enough to keep competition fair in live music.
“AIF welcomes the newly announced Business And Trade Committee inquiry into issues impacting competition and market functioning within the UK’s live music industry,” said CEO John Rostron. “AIF previously submitted written evidence to the committee on these issues, including figures demonstrating Live Nation's control of major arena and stadium shows. We believe it is vital that we ensure a fair and healthy market for promoters, festivals, artists and music fans.
“As things stand, Live Nation's increasing ownership and influence across outdoor events and festivals are of grave concern for the festival sector. AIF will support this inquiry with a substantial body of data, evidence and information that has been gathered over recent years, and would encourage others across the live music industry to submit evidence before the December 18 deadline to help ensure the future health, diversity and creativity of UK's live music.”
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