A SAFETY NET
Impartial pageant organisers have raised considerations about what they see as the expansion of Stay Nation within the UK’s pageant market.
The corporate, which additionally owns Ticketmaster, is presently going through a lawsuit from the Justice Division (DoJ) within the US, the place regulators have accused it of utilizing unlawful techniques to take care of a monopoly over the reside music business.
A Stay Nation spokesperson has described the allegations as “baseless” and mentioned the DoJ’s case “ignores the fundamental economics of reside leisure”. The corporate identified that the lawsuit doesn’t make any allegations about festivals.
The final time the Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA), a authorities regulator, took a better look into their actions concerning festivals within the UK was 2017, when Stay Nation invested within the Isle Of Wight Competition – a transfer which was accredited.
Jimi Hendrix gave one in every of his ultimate performances on the well-known Isle Of Wight Competition of 1970
Jimi Hendrix gave one in every of his ultimate performances on the well-known Isle Of Wight Competition of 1970
Because the report, Stay Nation has misplaced V Competition, one in every of its larger choices, however has invested in different occasions equivalent to Gone Wild and Large Smoke Competition.
Even Glastonbury is seemingly not immune from needing assist from these within the company sector. Melvin Benn, the managing director of Competition Republic, labored with the pageant for a interval within the Noughties, ending in 2012, to assist it develop and modernise. In 2021, he was reappointed as a director.
Sky Information understands full possession stays with Michael Eavis and his household, together with his daughter Emily, who runs the pageant, and there are not any plans to promote any portion of the enterprise.
Glastonbury was launched by farmer Michael Eavis (proper) in 1970, and is now run by his daughter, Emily (left). Pic: PA
Glastonbury was launched by farmer Michael Eavis (proper) in 1970, and is now run by his daughter, Emily (left). Pic: PA
However business insiders declare Stay Nation would possibly look to achieve some management.
Rostron says Glastonbury, which he calls “the best present on Earth”, is considered otherwise because it has stayed true to its impartial roots, regardless of its huge dimension.
“Glastonbury works quite a bit with the impartial neighborhood… a number of our members are concerned, operating phases and areas.”John Rostron, CEO AIF
He describes corporations equivalent to Stay Nation’s Competition Republic as “giants” that typically “put their toes within the fallacious place on the fallacious time”.
Elton John performed his ultimate UK present headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2023
Elton John performed his ultimate UK present headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2023
Chloe Birkett, an affiliate within the competitors crew on the legislation agency Freeths, explains that underneath UK legislation, having a big share of a market doesn’t essentially imply you might be doing something fallacious.
“What you need to take a look at is, is there a dominant place after which is there an abuse of that dominant place?” she says.
“Simply since you’re a dominant participant, it does not imply that is fallacious or unlawful, however you may have a particular responsibility as a dominant participant to not abuse that conduct and never act in a means that is anti-competitive.”
Assessing dominance is “advanced”, she says, and never only a case of there being a tipping level as soon as an organization reaches a sure share of its market. In any investigation, the CMA would take a look at the consequences on customers, in addition to smaller rivals.
In the meantime some promoters say they’d not have survived with out company funding. Boomtown Honest, which is famed for its artistic units, bought a minority share to Stay Nation in 2022.
A Boomtown representative told Mixmag they took the choice following “a really robust few years” resulting from COVID.
The pageant’s co-founder, Chris Rutherford, added that they had been “nonetheless operating the present” however the sale would assist “present stability for the longer term”.
