New research from European live music and media trade associations reveals that four companies own the majority of the continent’s largest music festivals.
Who Owns Europe’s Live Music Spaces?, a new report published by Live DMA and Reset! Network on February 5, found that more than 150 of Europe’s largest festivals are owned by one of four corporate entertainment companies: AEG, Live Nation, CTS Eventim, and Superstruct Entertainment.
The research, which visually maps the connections between each global entertainment giant and its European event subsidiaries, found that Live Nation operates nearly 120 companies across the continent, generating $16.7 billion in 2022. The same year, CTS Eventim generated around $1.9 billion in European sales across 20 countries.
Superstruct, which has come under fire after its 2024 acquisition by KKR, a private equity firm with stakes in weapons manufacturing, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and Israeli corporations that operate in occupied Palestinian territories, was found to own and operate more than 80 festivals in 10 countries in Europe and Australia.
The report also notes that from 2022 to 2025, corporate entertainment ownership and operations focused primarily on arena and stadium events, with many of the big four securing stakes in Europe’s live music infrastructure as part of real estate and mixed-use developments.
“The European mapping project on ownership concentration in live music aims to make visible who owns which stages and to situate this evidence within wider cultural and competition policy debates,” Live DMA and Reset! Network wrote in a social media post.
Their statement continued: “The two ownership maps do not claim to be exhaustive, but they make visible a reality that has long been overlooked. They invite institutions, professionals, and citizens to ask a simple question: when we buy a ticket for a festival or a concert, who do we really support, and what kind of ecosystem do we want for live music in Europe?”
Check out their post and the map below. Read the full report here.
Featured image courtesy: Parklife Festival.