Live Nation Operates in ‘Climate of Fear,’ Finds U.K. Trade Committee, Urges ‘Full Market Investigation’

The U.K. parliamentary committee focused on trade has formally called for an urgent investigation into the live music sector by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). According to the committee, Live Nation operates within what it describes as a “climate of fear.” This cross-party group of MPs from the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee first initiated an inquiry into the U.K.’s live music market back in December of the previous year. Initially, Ticketmaster declined to participate but eventually appeared before the committee in February, followed by a joint appearance with its parent company, Live Nation, in June.

During these hearings, Phil Bowdery, Live Nation’s executive president, defended the company’s significant market share—particularly in arenas—by stating, “We are very good at what we do. Therefore, there is interest from the major artists to be with Live Nation.” However, the committee’s newly released report expresses “serious concerns” regarding the competitive landscape of the U.K. live music industry. It suggests that Live Nation’s dominant position may have fostered a “climate of fear.” The committee was particularly troubled by the high number of anonymous or confidential responses it received when soliciting written evidence, noting that many stakeholders feared reprisals, primarily from Live Nation. The report highlights that out of 23.1 million tickets sold in 2025, Live Nation directly controlled 58% of them. When including sales managed by its affiliate companies, this figure jumps to 66%. Additionally, Live Nation holds a commanding position in the secondary ticket market by restricting sales to its own Ticketmaster resale platform.

Evidence presented to the committee raised several key issues, including the scale and integrated nature of Live Nation’s business model. This integration makes it challenging for artists and managers to operate outside the company’s ecosystem. For instance, independent promoters face limited access to venues, while independent festivals and venues struggle to book major artists. Other concerns involve Live Nation’s use of long-term agreements and exclusivity clauses, which often require artists to participate in its festivals to secure access to certain venues—or vice versa. Furthermore, the company’s venues tend to favor its in-house promotion businesses and integrated ticketing arrangements over independent competitors. Notably, last month a jury in a New York federal court ruled that Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster had illegally maintained monopoly power in the ticketing market. Live Nation has announced its intention to appeal this decision.

“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,” said Liam Byrne, chair of the Commons Business and Trade Committee. “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.” Byrne added, “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 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.”