Competition & Markets Authority - CMU | the music business explained

UK regulator sets roadmap for reviewing app store payment rules

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Apple • 3 min read

UK regulator sets roadmap for reviewing app store payment rules

Last year the UK’s competition regulator closed an investigation into the Apple App Store rules that Spotify hates, but only so it could figure out how to use new powers it had been granted by Parliament. Now it’s done that, it’s proposed a roadmap for reviewing the hated rules, starting this autumn…

Chris Cooke • 24 Jul 2025

“Red-faced and sweaty” Live Nation executives face CMA legal action over Oasis tickets

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Ticketmaster • 6 min read

“Red-faced and sweaty” Live Nation executives face CMA legal action over Oasis tickets

Live Nation’s Phil ‘Brick Top’ Bowdery and Ticketmaster UK top banana Andrew Parsons arrived 15 minutes late last week to give evidence to MPs as part of the Business And Trade Committee’s ‘Rip-off Britain’ inquiry. Given how badly things went from there, they might regret having turned up at all……

Sam Taylor • 02 Jul 2025

Did Ticketmaster’s UK boss Andrew Parsons mislead MPs at a select committee hearing?

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Ticketmaster • 4 min read

Did Ticketmaster’s UK boss Andrew Parsons mislead MPs at a select committee hearing?

Ticketmaster’s UK boss told a committee of MPs the company “does not change” ticket prices during checkout. Ticketmaster’s legal terms and conditions said the exact opposite. Within days of that committee hearing, the company had quietly changed the wording to mirror what MPs had been told…

Sam Taylor • 26 Mar 2025

UK regulator backs plan for ticket tout price cap

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Secondary Ticketing • 4 min read

UK regulator backs plan for ticket tout price cap

The UK government’s consultation on its proposal to introduce a price cap on tickets resold by touts is ongoing. The Competition & Markets Authority, which has a role in regulating the secondary ticketing market, has made its submission coming out in support of the price cap proposal…

Chris Cooke • 25 Mar 2025

Oasis brings dynamic ticketing practices under fire from UK’s competition and advertising regulators, plus EU

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Live Business • 3 min read

Oasis brings dynamic ticketing practices under fire from UK’s competition and advertising regulators, plus EU

Following all the criticism of the use of dynamic pricing for the sale of tickets to the Oasis reunion shows last weekend, both the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority and the European Commission have announced they are reviewing this practice to check if it is compliant with consumer rights laws…

Chris Cooke • 04 Sep 2024

UK competition regulator closes investigation but warns Apple and Google: we will use new powers to make app ecosystem fair

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Google • 3 min read

UK competition regulator closes investigation but warns Apple and Google: we will use new powers to make app ecosystem fair

UK competition regulator the CMA has closed ongoing investigations into Apple and Google’s rules around in-app payments. Though mainly because recently passed laws boost the power of the CMA and it therefore believes any investigation would be better done in the context of enforcing those new laws…

Chris Cooke • 22 Aug 2024

Competition & Markets Authority • 3 min read

UK competition regulator launches new Digital Markets Unit

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority yesterday announced the formal launch of its new Digital Markets Unit. It will…

Chris Cooke • 08 Apr 2021