Concentration and competitiveness in the European live music sector, including ownership of festivals and ticketing platforms
29.8.2023
Question for written answer E-002461/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Niklas Nienass (Verts/ALE), Tomasz Frankowski (PPE), Ibán García Del Blanco (S&D), Romeo Franz (Verts/ALE)
Five major companies own almost 150 music festivals in Europe[1].
This concentration represents an obstacle to competitiveness for independent music festivals and impacts the whole music ecosystem, because these major groups own stakes in several key parts of the music value chain, such as artist management, ticketing and live distribution (venues, in addition to festivals). It also creates serious market distortion with regard to ticketing, leading to prohibitive ticket prices, and represents a sizeable risk for musical diversity at a time when programming is becoming increasingly standardised.
- 1.Is the Commission aware of this concentration in the European live music sector and, if so, what action has it undertaken in this context?
- 2.What measures has it implemented to ensure the competitiveness of ticketing platforms and what does it plan to do to prevent buyouts of live music distribution assets (music venues and festivals) and preserve musical diversity?
- 3.How can it limit such concentration, which is exacerbated by regional marketing and local authorities competing for attractiveness, in order to preserve the diversity of economic models and ensure the viability of cultural organisations, which are mainly non-profit organisations and SMEs?
Submitted: 29.8.2023
- [1] As demonstrated in the ownership map put together by the Syndicat des Musiques Actuelles (Contemporary Music Union): https://www.vousnetespaslaparhasard.com/festivals-de-musiques-actuelles-en-europe-qui-possede-quoi.