Association Of Independent Festivals Urges Breakup of Live Nation for Dominating Arena Stadium and Outdoor Concert Market
Live Nation Faces Calls for Breakup Amid Concerns of Market Dominance
Pressure Grows on Live Nation Over Concert Ticket Control
The Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF) has urged for a breakup of Live Nation due to its significant control over the UK concert ticket market. The AIF cited data showing Live Nation’s dominance in arena, stadium, and outdoor concert ticket sales in 2025, claiming the company controls 66.4% of the market, surpassing the UK’s monopoly threshold of 25% and market dominance position of 40%.
Manchester Arena Concerts and Live Nation’s Hold
To illustrate their point, the AIF highlighted Live Nation’s control over 75% of all shows at Manchester’s Co-op Arena this September. The lineup includes artists such as Vybz Kartel, Tom Grennan, and Lewis Capaldi. While Grennan is signed with SJM and Simply Red with Kilimanjaro Live, the AIF contends that Live Nation still maintains significant influence.
Impact on UK Music Festivals
Live Nation’s reach also extends to numerous major festivals, including Reading and Leeds, The Great Escape, and Download. Smaller festivals, however, argue that increased ticket prices and changes in consumer habits threaten their survival. Oscar Matthews, co-manager of Barn On The Farm, noted the lasting effects of COVID-19 and advocated for support measures like reduced VAT rates on ticket sales to help smaller festivals endure.
Disagreements Over Market Share Data
The AIF has called for an inquiry by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, leading to questioning of Live Nation and Ticketmaster executives. While the AIF provided data for the investigation, Live Nation representatives disputed these figures, asserting discrepancies and clarifying events not promoted by them.
Industry Debate on Concert Ticket Pricing
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino publicly addressed concert ticket prices, arguing at a CNBC conference that they have been “underpriced” for years compared to sports tickets. He compared average concert prices to other entertainment events, emphasizing that live music should reflect similar pricing models.
Legal Challenges in the US
Meanwhile, in the United States, Live Nation faces a class action lawsuit following a significant Ticketmaster data breach. The hackers compromised personal and financial information of 560 million customers, allegedly due to negligent security practices by Ticketmaster and Live Nation. US regulators have accused the companies of unfair ticket resale practices, asserting that they coordinated with brokers to inflate ticket prices unlawfully.
