Miley Cyrus tickets go on sale on Friday, promising a busy morning for parents of teenagers. Few fans know that Cyrus’s manager, Front Line, is part of Ticketmaster, which is where most of us get concert tickets from. That gives Ticketmaster more clout because it can force Cyrus to use its services, restricting competition.
Now Ticketmaster wants to merge with Live Nation, which is the biggest venue owner in the UK, running places such as the Wembley Arena, and the leading promoter of concerts and festivals. The combination gives off a bad vibe.
Independent venues refusing to use Ticketmaster might get squeezed. An enlarged company would have an incentive to deny these venues Front Line acts or tours promoted by Live Nation. The risk is that fans get ripped off, because any tension that exists between a concert promoter, who wants the most money, and a ticket provider, who wants volume, disappears.
Diversity and competition are even more important in music than in other markets, so it is right for the Competition Commission to investigate.