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UK Regulator Weighs Live Nation Market Inquiry
July22
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is reportedly considering a formal investigation into Live Nation Entertainment and the company’s position across the UK live music industry.
According to multiple sources, the CMA has begun contacting music industry representatives to arrange meetings as it assesses whether to conduct a wider examination of competition in the live entertainment market. The outreach is understood to include prominent critics of Live Nation and people who previously submitted evidence anonymously.
No formal market study or investigation has yet been announced, and the CMA has not confirmed the reported meetings. However, the regulator said it continues to give “active and careful consideration” to undertaking work in the sector.
“The CMA will submit a response to the Business and Trade Select Committee on the recommendation in its report in due course,” a CMA spokesperson said. “As set out in our written submission to the Committee’s inquiry, we are giving active and careful consideration to undertaking markets work in this area.”
The comments stop short of confirming that an investigation has been approved or that Live Nation would be its sole focus. However, the reported contact with industry representatives suggests the regulator may be moving beyond its initial consideration of the issue.
The development follows a report published in May by the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee, which called on the CMA to launch a comprehensive market investigation into the UK live music sector before the end of 2026.
The committee examined Live Nation’s activities across concert promotion, venues, festivals and ticketing through its Ticketmaster subsidiary. It also raised concerns about what it described as a “climate of fear” among people working in the industry.
“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 said.
“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.”
Live Nation has rejected the committee’s conclusions and maintains that the UK live music market remains highly competitive.
The company promotes hundreds of concerts in the UK each year and sells tickets through Ticketmaster. According to The Times, Live Nation also holds interests in 23 venues and 26 festivals, including O2 Academy venues and major events such as Reading and Leeds, Boomtown and Latitude.
Live Nation has said that it controls less than 5% of the UK festival market.
The CMA has previously scrutinised Ticketmaster’s UK operations. In 2025, the regulator raised concerns about pricing information and ticket categories used during sales for the Oasis reunion tour and warned that legal action could follow unless changes were made.
A formal UK investigation would add to the regulatory and legal scrutiny facing Live Nation in the United States, where competition authorities have challenged the company’s business practices and its position across concert promotion, venues and ticketing.
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