The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is being urged to launch a full investigation into the UK live music industry after a Commons committee warned that Live Nation's "dominant" market position has created a "climate of fear".
Published on Sunday (May 24), a report by the Commons Business and Trade Committee concluded there are concerns "against all three of the CMA factors for determining market dominance".
It followed evidence provided by Live Nation and Ticketmaster executives last June to a Business and Trade Committee inquiry into pricing, competition and consumer protection, which the committee said left it with "serious concerns about the state of competition in the live music industry in the UK".
Asked to explain the company's market share in arenas and stadiums, Live Nation executive president Phil Bowdery told the session: "We are very good at what we do. Therefore, there is interest from the major artists to be with Live Nation."
However, the committee said that evidence submitted to the inquiry suggested "an alternative explanation for Live Nation’s dominant position".
"A call for written evidence elicited 45 submissions, with a significant proportion requesting to submit anonymously or confidentially for fear of reprisal: in itself this triggered alarm about whether Live Nation has a dominant and controlling market position, and the climate of fear this may have created in the industry," it stated.
The evidence we received during this inquiry points to deep concerns about whether competition in the industry is now working fairly for fans, artists, venues and independent promoters
Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Committee chair
The committee noted that Live Nation directly controlled 58% of the 23.1 million tickets on sale in 2025, rising to 66% when sales controlled by affiliate companies are included.
It also pointed to Live Nation's use of long-term agreements with restrictive exclusivity terms, making access to its venues contingent on participation in its festivals, and said the lack of uptake of an industry-led levy on arena and stadium tickets to support the grassroots sector had been "widely attributed" to Live Nation not implementing it.
Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, chair of the committee, said: “Britain’s live music scene is one of our great national success stories, from grassroots venues nurturing new talent to world-class arena and stadium tours that attract global audiences. But the evidence we received during this inquiry points to deep concerns about whether competition in the industry is now working fairly for fans, artists, venues and independent promoters.
“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."
He added: "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 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.”
In response, 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.”
Last month, a federal jury found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary have operated monopolies in live event markets in the US and overcharged fans.
It followed a seven-week trial in New York that could result in Live Nation being forced to divest parts of the business or split from its ticketing arm.
