Ticketmaster is under fire for high concert tickets – the UK government says it won’t step in
Key Points
- Government rejects committee call to push the CMA into a Live Nation probe
- CMA says its resources are committed until the end of 2026
- Committee found Live Nation controlled 58% of UK primary ticketing in 2025
- Draft law will cap resale prices and tighten the rules on ticket bots
- Live Nation named by government over the £1 grassroots ticket levy
The UK government has refused to back calls for a competition investigation into Ticketmaster owner Live Nation.
The position is set out in a report the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee published on 18 October, which includes responses from the government and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
In May, the committee urged the CMA to launch a full market investigation into the UK live music industry before the end of 2026.
It found concerns about Live Nation against all three of the factors the CMA uses to judge market dominance: market share, barriers to entry and buyer power.
The committee found that Live Nation directly controlled 58% of primary ticketing across the 23.1 million tickets on sale in 2025, rising to 66% when its affiliate companies are included.
Kate Dearden, Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, rejected the committee’s main recommendation in a letter to committee chair Liam Byrne.
“While we recognise the concerns underlying this recommendation, we are clear that it is not for government to determine whether the legal thresholds for intervention have been met in individual markets,” said Dearden.
She said the CMA already has a full set of powers to tackle competition and consumer harms, and that the government would not direct it to use them.
Not enough time
Despite being handed over to the regulator, the CMA said its resources are largely committed until the end of 2026, which makes the committee’s deadline unlikely to be met.
It is currently running a market study into dentistry, due to report in March 2027, and another into childcare, due in May 2027.
The watchdog said its Board would consider live events as part of its planning for the 2027/28 financial year, which began in September.
It also said the Board would decide in the autumn whether to start formal markets work into the sector, and would write to the committee after that decision.
The CMA added that its Board would take account of any steers from the new administration on which areas the regulator should prioritise.
The CMA said it is reviewing the committee’s evidence and holding discussions with UK and international stakeholders about vertical integration across venues, promotion and ticketing.
It is also examining the market power of companies at each layer and their use of exclusivity clauses.
US jury found Ticketmaster overcharged fans
The CMA said it is monitoring the US antitrust case against Live Nation, where a jury found in April that Live Nation and Ticketmaster held a harmful monopoly over big arenas.
The jury also found that the companies had overcharged concertgoers by $1.72 per ticket in 22 states.
The US Department of Justice and seven states settled with Live Nation in March for a penalty of $280 million, though a court has yet to approve the deal. The other 33 states rejected the settlement, and a damages hearing is unlikely before spring 2027.
No new law on dynamic pricing
The government said existing consumer and competition law is broadly enough to deal with dynamic pricing, as long as regulators enforce it properly.
It pointed to the formal undertakings the CMA secured from Ticketmaster after the 2024 Oasis ticket sale.
Under those undertakings, Ticketmaster must tell fans in advance when it uses tiered pricing, and it must explain what “platinum” tickets offer.
The CMA can now fine companies up to 10% of their turnover for serious breaches of consumer law without going to court.
The regulator has already fined StubHub almost £900,000 over hidden fees and secured refunds of over £590,000 for more than 50,000 customers.
However, the government confirmed it will introduce draft legislation this parliamentary session to reform the secondary ticketing market.
The plans include tighter restrictions on bots that buy tickets in bulk, and a cap on how far above a set price resellers can list tickets.
Resale platforms will have to show the original face value and seat location clearly, and they will be responsible for verifying sellers.
Live Nation named over ticket levy
The government also called on Live Nation by name to back the industry’s voluntary £1 levy on arena and stadium tickets for shows over 5,000 capacity.
The levy funds grassroots venues, and the LIVE Trust has already distributed £1.5 million to touring, venue and festival programmes.
Dearden said the government is prepared to explore legislation to support the levy if take-up stays low.
Live Nation has rejected the committee’s conclusions, saying the UK live music market remains highly competitive and that it controls less than 5% of the UK festival market.
“Live Nation competes every day for tours, venues and artists in a highly competitive market,” said a Live Nation spokesperson.
