Live Nation says a landmark US ruling against the company will have “no bearing” on Australia, but the decision has already reignited calls for investigations into concentration in the local live music industry.
As reported by Rolling Stone AU/NZ, the ruling in the US – where Live Nation and Ticketmaster were found liable for monopolisation – has reignited scrutiny of Live Nation’s market power closer to home. This includes calls from industry groups including the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), asking for regulators to step in.
“The US verdict shows that the Australian government and its agencies need to act on repeated calls to launch a similar investigation here in Australia,” Paul Davies, Director of MEAA Musicians, said in a statement to Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“The monopoly we have puts musicians and crew in an unpleasant position, with less and less power, and they’re already suffering low pay and insecure work. We’re once more calling for the government and its agencies to look into the extreme concentrated market power in Australia.”
The MEAA is asking the federal government to act on recommendations from last year’s parliamentary inquiry ‘Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?’, which warned of growing concentration in live music and called for stronger oversight of ticketing and competition.
It proposed giving the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – an independent authority that regulates Australia’s competition, fair trading, and product safety – greater powers to monitor anti-competitive behaviour in the live music industry and strengthening consumer protections around ticketing.
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