THE BIG STORY: Just a week into a blockbuster trial, Live Nation reached a settlement with the Department of Justice to end a two-year clash between federal antitrust watchdogs and the country’s biggest live music company.
The DOJ’s case started with then-Attorney General Merrick Garland saying it was “time to break it up” – meaning to split Live Nation from Ticketmaster to reduce their alleged dominance over the industry. But it ended without such a breakup, as the feds agreed to a deal that required key changes from Live Nation but allowed it to keep its ticketing giant. It looks like it really was Time to Move On after all.
That outcome was praised by Live Nation, which said it “marks a major step in improving the concert experience for artists and fans.” But it rankled many of the company’s critics, including several of the states that co-filed the lawsuit with the DOJ, who vowed to continue to litigate the case to a conclusion.
For all the details about the settlement and what it requires of Live Nation, go read our entire story here. And stick with Billboard for more upcoming coverage on the impact of the settlement and the ongoing court battle with the states.
Other top stories this week…
-Dionne Warwick filed a scathing countersuit against Artists Rights Enforcement, accusing the rights management company of stealing “millions of dollars in royalty income” over several decades.
-Everyone in the industry has strong opinions about Suno — not least the record labels that have battled the AI music firm in court. In a terrific Billboard cover story, my colleague Kristin Robinson dives deep to ask: Is Suno the Music Industry’s Biggest Nightmare — or Greatest Hope?
-In other AI news, a new lawsuit against Google accused the tech giant of training its Lyria 3 artificial intelligence model on music uploaded to YouTube – a key difference from previous cases against companies like Suno and Udio that do nt control vast content platforms.
-Britney Spears was arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence after being observed “driving erratically at a high rate of speed.” In a later statement, Britney’s reps called the incident “inexcusable” and said she’d be making some “long overdue” changes to her life.
-A Florida woman named Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was arrested and charged with felony attempted murder for allegedly firing 10 shots from an AR-15-style assault rifle at Rihanna’s Beverly Hills mansion.
-Quavo owes nearly $3 million in unpaid income taxes dating back to 2021, according to a tax lien notice filed by the IRS on the Migos rapper’s property, including his 11,000 square-foot home in a tony Atlanta suburb.
-Lil Durk has hired Brian Steel to represent him in his murder-for-hire case, bolstering a team already led by Drew Findling. For more about Steel, go read my long interview with the veteran criminal defense attorney, who represented Young Thug and Diddy in their high-profile cases.
-A judge dismissed a lawsuit against Bad Bunny that claimed his chart-topping Un Verano Sin Ti album used an unlicensed sample from a Nigerian artist – a move that came after the accuser was dropped by his lawyers and essentially abandoned the case.
-A Swedish court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Avicii’s longtime manager Ash Pournouri against the estate of the late Swedish dance music icon — though the legal fight is not over just yet.
-In a fascinating dispute at the intersection of music, sports, video games and IP, the publishers of the University of Michigan’s iconic “Let’s Go Blue” marching band anthem are suing one of its co-writers after he allegedly torpedoed a lucrative deal for the song to appear in EA Sports College Football game.
-A lawsuit against Travis Scott, SZA and Future will move forward after a judge refused to dismiss Victory Boyd’s accusations that the trio copied her work with Ye (formerly Kanye West) for the hit 2023 song “Telekinesis.”
-PRS for Music, a British rights group, launched legal proceedings against video game giant Valve over music featured in video games that are distributed on the company’s Steam platform, including huge hits like FIFA, Grand Theft Auto and others: “Great video games rely on great soundtracks.”
