A government committee has urged the competition watchdog to launch a probe into the UK’s live music industry and the most “dominant firms”.
The Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee said on 18 October it is “pressing” the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a full market investigation into the live music industry in the country before the end of the year.
This follows the Committee setting out its concerns over dominant firms in a report in May when it initially asked CMA to investigate the live music industry before the end of 2026.
The Committee said it is particularly concerned about the market dominance of entertainment giant, Live Nation, the parent company of ticketing platform Ticketmaster.
According to the group of MPs, concerns were raised with the watchdog after ticket sales for Oasis’ reunion tour, where tickets were being sold for thousands of pounds.
“Despite the evidence presented by the Committee, the CMA has yet to announce a full market investigation,” the Committee said.
“The Committee is now repeating its call for urgent action to ensure fair competition and a live music industry that works for performers, grassroots venues and fans,” it added.
Watchdog pressed for ‘timeline of their next steps’
According to the report, Live Nation’s market position “raised red flags against all three of the CMA’s factors for assessing market dominance”, and the firm “directly controlled 58 per cent of the 23.1 million primary tickets on sale in 2025, rising to 66 per cent when sales controlled by affiliated companies were included.”
“Britain’s live music industry should reward talent, not simply market power. We found a climate of fear, barriers for artists and grassroots venues missing out,” Liam Byrne MP, chair of the Committee, said.
“It’s clear to us that the CMA must launch a full investigation for the simple reason that fans and performers deserve a fair deal – and they deserve it now,” Byrne said.
The committee said it is writing back to the CMA “asking for details and a timeline of their next steps”.