UK politicians call for fresh competition probe into Live Nation

Politicians have called for a fresh probe into the market dominance of Live Nation in the UK. 

As reported by Music Business Worldwide, a new report from the cross-party Business and Trade Committee has called on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to reopen investigations into Live Nation.

According to findings included in the report, the events giant controlled around 58% of the 23.1 million primary tickets sold in 2025, with that figure rising to 66% when including sales from its "affiliate companies".

Read this next: Jury rules that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have monopoly on live music in the US

According to the committee, Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster have created a "climate of fear" within the events industry, claiming that a "significant proportion" of evidence submissions for its report have requested anonymity or confidentiality for "fear of reprisal".

“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," Committee chair Liam Byrne told The Independent. 

"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."

In March 2025, the CMA found that Ticketmaster may have "breached" consumer protection law during the sale of tickets for Oasis' 2025 tour by offering seated tickets without any additional benefits to general sale as "platinum". Many buyers reported that they were asked to pay £350 for tickets with a face value of £150, around 2.5x the asking price.

While Ticketmaster was initially accused of partaking in "dynamic pricing", the CMA found no evidence of an "algorithmic pricing model" to adjust tickets based on demand during its investigation.

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In April, a US jury ruled that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had a monopoly over large-scale live music venues in the US, marking the culmination of a lengthy antitrust legal battle between the corporation and the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

During the trial, DOJ attorney Jeffrey Kessler called Live Nation a "monopolistic bully", adding that it's time that the American public "hold them accountable" for overcharging customers. While the exact figure for damages is yet to be decided, the jury found that Ticketmaster has extorted buyers for an extra $1.72 on average per ticket since the merger.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X