MPs again seek investigation of Haringey Council’s monopolistic customer

Melvin Benn & Peray Ahmet posing at Wireless 2023. Photo credit: Haringey Council PR.

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A Parliamentary Commiteee is again urging the Competition and Markets Authority to undertake a ‘full market investigation into the UK's live music industry’.

In this context, full market in effect, means Haringey Council's enormous customer, Live Nation (LN).

Enormous that is, in terms of US, UK and global market dominance rather than the modest, if not measly, hire payment the council receives. Some of which may be spent on the council Events Team. A fraction of which is spent for the benefit of Finsbury Park.

In a local context, the enormity means the ticketed Event that has always been too big for our public park.

Park hire income has been largely opaque, which characteristic may overlap with the several years of external Audit Opinion from two Audit firms for the overall council accounts: Disclaimer.

I understand that of four grades of Audit, Disclaimer is the least favourable.

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"Climate of Fear"

Companies don't always achieve monopoly status by playing nice. This latest urging by the UK's House of Commons Business and Trade Committee comes after a previous urging, made shortly after this year's May local elections.

In addressing this market abuse, the CMA is moving with the same urgency as a municipal Action Plan. The USA's Justice Department began action against this gigantic global monopoly many years ago and litigation is well underway. Massive fines are in prospect in the USA, but the CMA is presumably pondering.

While the jury is out on the UK CMA's inaction, last April a US Federal Jury did take action.

LN has always appeared at least satisfied with the deal the council offered, while the previous council leader often seemed happy to be photographed with their local UK boss (above).

For more than 10 years, LN has enjoyed cosy relations with our council, but our public park—entirely within Harringay Ward—has seen little benefit. In several ways it is run down.

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A gig, a Nazi, the greed and the feebleness

Earlier this year, the council's customer invited artist Kanye West—with public Nazi advocacy—to headline at Wireless in Finsbury Park.

The LN boss suggested that a three-night headlining might help in rehabilitation for the artist. Others might suggest that LN's invitation was evidence of avarice. Fortunately, the Home Secretary blocked entry of the artist and Wireless as such was cancelled.

The practical effect was that (for the first time ever?) the McKenzie flower-beds were not planted-out in summer. As I photographed the forlorn weed-beds, a park employee passing on a golf-cart stopped by and told me this represented a “fallow year” … before zooming off.

Under New Labour, the council did not recognise any drawback with their long-term Finsbury Park exploitation contracts. Due to legal commitments into which the council previously entered, our park and residents will suffer yet one more Wireless during the council's Borough of Culture 2027.

Many years ago, Wireless was ejected from other council's parks. Now, LN will likely lobby Haringey to continue their lucrative arrangement after 2027, with a council whose negotiating ability with the private sector is not always brilliant.

Before the election, Labour's Cabinet Member for Parks did her best to lock the council into another five year LN deal until 2032. We must trust that the new Green Administration will honour their election undertakings and that 2027 will be the last, damaging Event.

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PDF Report May 2026: Competition and market functioning in the UK live music industry

House of Commons Business and Trade Committee

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