Parliament Inquiry Calls for Regulation of Ticket Selling in Australia

A Parliament inquiry in Australia urges the country to take a closer look at ticketing laws.

Parliament has released a report, dubbed “Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?” The report is an inquiry into Australia’s live music sector, exploring the changes and opportunities with the live music industry. It calls on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to monitor the industry for anti-competitive conduct and recommends the country’s consumer law be amended to regulate ticket selling.

The report notes that it wants to see an end to “conduct that distorts, manipulates, or undermines consumer choice, without necessarily being misleading or deceptive, such as practices that create an undue sense of urgency or scarcity.” It aims to change consumer laws to improve transparency in fee and charging practices for concert tickets.

According to the inquiry, 90% of the major concert market is controlled by Live Nation, TEG Live, and AEG Frontier.

Last year, Australia announced it would ban the infamous practice known as “dynamic pricing” — which increases prices based on demand. The ban followed an explosive investigation by ABC’s Four Corners, which shed light on Live Nation’s market manipulation and impact on the country’s music scene. The once-vibrant Australian underground music scene has been overtaken; over 1,300 venues shut down and major festivals were either bought out or cancelled last year. Meanwhile, Live Nation is “squeezing out local competitors by acquiring smaller independent operators,” Four Corners claimed.

The Australian government noted in a statement that “from concert tickets to hotel rooms to gym memberships, Australians are fed up with businesses using tricky tactics that make it difficult to end subscriptions or add hidden fees to purchases.”

“These practices can distort purchasing decisions, or result in additional costs, putting more pressure on the cost of living,” the federal government said.