A parliamentary inquiry examining Australia’s struggling live music sector has issued recommendations for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to monitor the industry for anti-competitive practices. The inquiry’s report, titled “Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again,” suggests amendments to consumer laws to enhance transparency in ticketing fees and to combat “extreme dynamic pricing.” Witnesses during the near year-long national inquiry attributed the sector’s decline to limited competition and the prevalence of vertical integration, where a single company controls concert and festival production, venues, ticketing, and resale ticketing. Major players such as US-based Live Nation (which owns Ticketmaster), TEG Live (owner of Ticketek), and AEG Frontier collectively dominate about 90% of the major concert market in Australia.

The report also highlighted issues with insurance premiums, weather unpredictability, new technology, and policing costs as challenges affecting the sector. It recommended a potential reduction or abolition of user-pays policing charges at music festivals, exploration of tax offsets for the industry, an incentive scheme to draw younger audiences, and a levy on ticket prices to support smaller venues and grassroots music.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/07/struggling-live-music-sector-needs-watchdog-to-crack-down-on-anti-competitive-practices-inquiry-says