Live Nation Entertainment is facing the prospect of a competition investigation in the UK.
The country’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has in recent days begun contacting industry figures – including some of Live Nation‘s critics – to arrange meetings as it prepares for a possible investigation into the live music sector.
That is according to The Times, which reported that the CMA‘s outreach is understood to be a precursor to a formal probe.
A UK inquiry would come as Live Nation – the world’s largest concert promoter, and the owner of Ticketmaster – contests an antitrust defeat in the United States.
In April, a federal jury in New York found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated an illegal monopoly in the US, concluding they had overcharged consumers by $1.72 per ticket at major concert venues.
Live Nation has said it will contest that outcome, stating after the verdict that “the jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter.”
The prospect of a UK inquiry follows a report published in May by a UK parliamentary committee, the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee, which called on the CMA to launch a full market investigation into live music before the end of 2026.
The Committee said its inquiry had uncovered a “climate of fear” in the sector, with a number of contributors submitting evidence anonymously.
Liam Byrne, Chair of the Committee, said: “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.”
“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,” Byrne added.
A Live Nation spokesperson rejected the Committee’s conclusions.
“This report misrepresents the UK live music industry by relying on inaccurate data and unsupported conclusions,” the spokesperson said.
“Live Nation competes every day for tours, venues and artists in a highly competitive market. We will engage constructively with any process that benefits artists, fans and the wider industry, but debate about the sector must be based on evidence, not allegation and hearsay.”
An investigation would not be the CMA‘s first look at Live Nation‘s UK operations.
The regulator threatened Ticketmaster with legal action in July 2025 over how it sold tickets for the 2025 Oasis reunion, after finding that fans had been misled over ticket labeling and pricing tiers.
Giving evidence to the Committee in June 2025, Emma Cochrane, the CMA’s Acting Executive Director of Consumer Protection, said the regulator was weighing a market investigation on “a timeframe of 18 to 24 months” that would “open up the possibility of making orders, including breaking up a business.”
According to The Times, Live Nation owns stakes in 23 venues and 26 festivals in the UK, including O2 Academy sites and festivals such as Reading, Leeds, Boomtown and Latitude.
The company says it controls less than 5% of UK festivals.
A CMA spokesperson said the authority is “giving active and careful consideration to undertaking markets work in this area.”
The regulator could still stop short of a full investigation, The Times reported, but sector sources cited by the paper said the meetings now being scheduled pointed to the CMA preparing to proceed.Music Business Worldwide
