The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has called for an investigation into Live Nation from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
The trade body recently provided evidence for a Business and Trade Committee inquiry into pricing, competition and consumer protection.
On June 24, Phil Bowdery (executive president, touring international music, Live Nation) and Andrew Parsons (managing director, Ticketmaster, part of Live Nation) gave evidence to the session (pictured).
They were presented with an analysis of 23 million tickets on sale for arenas, stadiums and outdoor concerts taking place in the UK in 2025 which showed that Live Nation, either directly or through the companies they own (such as Cuffe & Taylor, DF Concerts, Metropolis) control 66% of those shows.
The information presented to the Live Nation representatives was sent to the Committee by AIF, which calculated the tickets as follows:
Total arena, stadium and outdoor concert tickets on sale in 2025: 23,136,243
Percentage directly controlled by Live Nation: 58.36% (13.5 million tickets)
Percentage controlled by Live Nation and affiliate companies: 66.4% (15.36 million tickets)
During the hearing, Phil Bowdery told MPs: “I do not recognise those figures.”
Phil Bowdery and Andrew Parsons at the committee hearing
Asked about the committee staff’s analysis of 100 of the biggest events in that particular market segment showing a similar proportion, Bowdery responded: “You are not counting the theatres and other smaller venues to get a broader brush. We certainly are very good at what we do. We have clients who are doing stadiums and arenas, but we also do a lot of theatres and clubs.”
“I do not see us as being dominant,” he added when asked about Live Nation’s market power. “We have a lot of competitors. It is a very low-margin business that we run. Globally, we are at about a 3% margin.”
In his evidence to MPs, Andrew Parsons said: “Some 60% of events and tickets [sold by Ticketmaster] are for non-Live Nation businesses – in other words, competitors to Live Nation, effectively, if you want to think about it in those terms. To me anyway, that represents one of the clearest examples of a well-functioning and competitive marketplace, and our having to be good at what we do. We have to establish a lot of trust within the business for that to be the case. People outside Live Nation are working with us on merit and on the basis of delivering the best services in support of their shows and their fans.”
AIF CEO John Rostron said: “Based on our analysis, we believe that there is evidence to suggest that Live Nation could be held responsible for engaging in anti-competitive behaviour and we therefore recommend that the Competition and Markets Authority investigate matters. While we encourage and support organisations and individuals putting on the biggest shows, we wish for the market to be fair where all participants – whether major companies or independents – have opportunities at all levels. That’s why we took this action.”
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