Organization says promoter controls over 66% of UK’s large-scale concert market.
Photo credit: Danny Howe on Unsplash
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has publicly called for the breakup of Live Nation, citing what it describes as damaging monopolistic control over the UK’s live entertainment industry.
In a recent Instagram post, the not-for-profit organisation accused Live Nation and its affiliated companies of stifling competition and undermining independent promoters. “Our data showed that Live Nation and affiliated companies control the majority of arena, stadium and outdoor concert tickets in 2025,” the post stated. “The UK monopoly threshold is 25%. Market dominance position is 40%. Live Nation control 66.4%.”
The AIF also highlighted Live Nation’s stronghold on specific venues, pointing to Manchester’s Co-Op Live arena, where it claims 75% of shows in September are controlled by the company—far above what the group considers “fair competition”.
This latest move follows previous appeals from the AIF to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, urging a formal investigation into Live Nation’s business practices. The organization also contributed evidence to a Business and Trade Committee inquiry earlier this year on pricing, competition, and consumer protection. Representatives from Live Nation, including Phil Bowdery and Andrew Parsons, have pushed back on the AIF’s claims.
In parallel, the US Federal Trade Commission recently filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging excessive fees and practices that allow ticket scalping through bots and inflated resale prices, sometimes reaching markups of 500%.
