British MPs are again urging the UK’s competition regulator to open a full market investigation into live music before 2026 is out, with Live Nation squarely in their sights.
The House of Commons Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee said on October 18 that it is again pressing the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to act, months after a May report in which it described a “climate of fear” around the sector’s dominant firms. No formal investigation has been announced yet, so the committee is writing to the watchdog for details and a timeline.
What the MPs found
According to the committee, Live Nation’s position raised red flags against all three of the tests the CMA uses to judge market dominance. Its report says the company directly controlled 58% of the 23.1 million primary tickets put on sale in the UK in 2025, a share that climbs to 66% once affiliated companies are counted. MPs also flagged long-term deals with exclusivity terms that, they say, tie access to Live Nation venues to playing its festivals, plus its hold on ticketing data, including rivals’ data.
MPs also blamed the company for the slow take-up of a voluntary grassroots levy on arena and stadium tickets. Committee chair Liam Byrne said fans and performers “deserve a fair deal – and they deserve it now.”
Live Nation pushes back
Live Nation has rejected the findings, saying the report relied on inaccurate data and that it competes daily for tours, venues and artists. Music Week reports that the company disputes the ticket-share figures in particular.
The scrutiny traces back to fan anger over ticketing for Oasis’ 2025 reunion tour, as City AM notes. The CMA later said it found no evidence of dynamic pricing on that tour and secured fan-treatment commitments from Ticketmaster. The UK move also follows a US jury verdict earlier this year that found Live Nation and Ticketmaster had operated monopolies.
Featured image: Oasis (Liam and Noel Gallagher) reunion press photo by Simon Emmett, via City AM.