Legendary Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and iconic hip-hop duo Mobb Deep will join forces this fall for a special co-headlining tour marking the 30th anniversaries of two classic albums: Only…
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Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper has announced his And We Back Tour, a 15-city North American headlining run promoted by Live Nation. The tour kicks off September 26 in Houston,…
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Lil Wayne launched his highly anticipated Tha Carter VI Tour last night in Bristow, Virginia at Jiffy Lube Live, marking the start of a nationwide celebration of 20 years of…
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Seven-time GRAMMY-nominated R&B star GIVĒON has officially announced his new headlining tour, Dear Beloved, The Tour, in support of his sophomore album BELOVED, which dropped July 11. The 14-track project…
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Following a string of sold-out shows in North America and upcoming dates with SZA in Europe, Kendrick Lamar is bringing his Grand National Tour to Latin America. The pgLang and…
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Move over TikTok, The United States Department of Justice’s war against big media is unrelenting after news broke the DOJ just sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, a move that could reshape the multibillion-dollar live entertainment company. Live Nation fully owns Ticketmaster, North America’s largest ticket vendor.
Get this: the DOJ’s complaint alleges that Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopolizes ticketing and uses this wide-reaching power to dominate the market and suppress competition. “It is time to break it up,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland during a Thursday press conference. That’s capitalism for you, but the DOJ is making its point, and this lawsuit is the real deal.
Garland said in an official statement, “We allege that Live Nation relies on unlawful, anticompetitive conduct to exercise its monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States at the cost of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators. The result is that fans pay more in fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters get squeezed out, and venues have fewer real choices for ticketing services.”
Here’s where it gets current: when addressing the rationale behind the lawsuit, Garland cited the brought into the fold the public backlash from the Taylor Swift “Eras” tour ticket sales debacle: “In recent years, Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s exorbitant fees and technological failures have been criticized by fans and artists alike. We are not here today because Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s [customers] are frustrated. We are here because as we allege that conduct is anticompetitive.” I mean the tour made over a billion dollars and no one is blaming Swift or her Swifties, for the record.
There is a 124-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and it asserts that Live Nation-Ticketmaster unlawfully exercises its monopoly power in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
More from the DOJ summary, “As a result of its conduct, music fans in the United States are deprived of ticketing innovation and forced to use outdated technology while paying more for tickets than fans in other countries. At the same time, Live Nation-Ticketmaster exercises its power over performers, venues, and independent promoters in ways that harm competition. Live Nation-Ticketmaster also imposes barriers to competition that limit the entry and expansion of its rivals.”
It gets even more interesting; the complaint also details how Live Nation-Ticketmaster maintains monopolies in concert promotions and primary ticketing markets and engages in exclusionary practices that affect venues. These practices reinforce a “flywheel” effect: a self-reinforcing business model capturing fees and revenue from fans and sponsors. This is then used to secure exclusive promotion deals with artists and long-term ticketing agreements with venues. This cycle, the DOJ argues, further entrenches Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s market power and creates barriers for competitors.
A Ticketmaster spokesperson claimed that the company faces “more competition today than it has ever had,” Live Nation-Ticketmaster controls over 80% of the market for primary ticket sales at the largest U.S. venues and holds exclusive ticketing contracts with many major stadiums and arenas. Okay, well we guess they have their reasons. Stay tuned for how this plays out. Until then, it’s festival season. Enjoy.
The post Live Nation and Ticketmaster Sued by Justice Department Who Claim ‘It Is Time to Break It Up’ first appeared on The Source.
The post Live Nation and Ticketmaster Sued by Justice Department Who Claim ‘It Is Time to Break It Up’ appeared first on The Source.
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LL COOL J was with Big Boy on Big Boy’s Neighborhood and recalled laughing at JAY-Z when he rapped in high school.
LL mentioned that he didn’t have any issues with Hov and barely remembers the moment. But now, he wonders if it could be what led to no invite to the Roc Nation Brunch. “I don’t even remember it! I laughted at you, so now I can’t have no brunch?” LL jokingly asked.
LL will soon be back on the road. Liv Nation Urban has announced a once-in-a-lifetime touring experience and celebration of hip-hop culture. Rock The Bells and Live Nation Urban The Kennedy Center Honoree, two-time Grammy Award winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Inductee, and Hip-Hop Icon LL COOL J as the headlining act at The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) Live.
For the first time in 30 years, LL COOL J will headline an arena tour with this historic tour. The lineup for this tour was chosen by LL COOL J himself, living true to the phrase F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy).
All events will feature collaborative live performances with renowned Grammy Award-winning Hip-Hop band The Roots, the famous DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Z-Trip, building on their incredible performance together on the GRAMMY® Awards earlier this year celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. The evening will be a continual musical mix up with artist performances intertwined into one continuous musical set, contrary to the typical “opening act – headliner” style, supported by The Roots. Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Common, MC Lyte, Method Man & Redman, Big Boi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ice T, Juvenile, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, De La Soul, Goodie Mob, Jadakiss, Rick Ross, and more are among the legendary performers on the lineup in some cities.
“I’m excited to be on my first Arena tour in 30 years. It’s proof that our culture is more viable than ever,” LL COOl J says of the tour. “Get ready for some non stop beats and rhymes. See you this summer!”
The F.O.R.C.E. Live begins its journey on June 25 at Boston, Massachusetts’ TD Garden, stops in Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center on June 27, travels to arenas throughout the United States and Canada, and concludes on September 3 in Los Angeles, California’s Kia Forum.
Verizon will offer customers an exclusive presale for the tour in the U.S. through Verizon Up. Customers will have access to purchase presale tickets for select shows beginning Tuesday, April 25th at 12PM local time through Thursday, April 27th at 10PM local time. For more details visit Verizon Up.
Citi is the official card of the tour. Citi cardmembers will also have access to presale tickets for select shows beginning Tuesday, April 25th at 12PM local time through Thursday, April 27th at 10PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.
On Thursday, April 27th between 10AM-10PM local time, fans may purchase tickets through either the Live Nation presale, Ticketmaster presale, or local venue and radio presales. General on-sale kicks off Friday, April 28th at 10AM local time.
TOUR DATES
6/25 Boston, MA TD Garden
6/27 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
6/28 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
6/29 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
7/1 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
7/2 Washington, DC Capital One Arena
7/4 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
7/6 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
7/8 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
7/9 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
8/12 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
8/13 Chicago, IL United Center
8/18 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
8/19 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
8/20 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
8/22 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum
8/23 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
8/24 Ft. Worth, TX Dickies Arena
8/25 Houston, TX Toyota Center
8/27 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater
8/29 Denver, CO Ball Arena
9/1 San Francisco, CA Chase Center
9/2 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/3 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
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Two of the many lawsuits brought against the organizers of last year’s Astroworld music festival have settled, the first settlements from the massive thicket of litigation that has arisen as a result of the tragic events at the Houston festival.
On November 5, 2021, a deadly crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance at the Astroworld music festival left ten people dead and hundreds of people injured, resulting in one of the deadliest concert disasters in history. Two of the concert-goers killed were twenty-one year old Axel Acosta, and sixteen year-old Brianna Rodriguez. Axel and Brianna’s family subsequently filed lawsuits against concert promoter Live Nation, venue manager ASM Global, the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, and Travis Scott himself, claiming the organizers were negligent in how they planned and managed the event and controlled the crowds. These lawsuits are reported to have now reached settlement on undisclosed terms.
The lawsuits brought by Axel and Brianna’s families are just the tip of the iceberg. Reportedly, more than 4,900 individuals have filed legal claims based on injuries received at the festival, seeking billions of dollars from the defendants. These cases have been consolidated before a single judge in Texas through a process called “multidistrict litigation,” which allows mass injury lawsuits with similar facts to be consolidated for efficiency.
These types of cases often end up settling for large amounts. Following the shooting on the Las Vegas strip that left 61 people dead, MGM ended up paying out $800 million to settle claims involving over 4,000 victims and relatives. If a settlement cannot be reached, then a few individual so-called “bellwether” cases may be tried, to get a sense of how strong the claims are and help move a settlement along.
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Kendrick Lamar is hitting the road this Summer — in support of the release of his new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — as he announced on Friday morning (May 13) dates for his upcoming Oklama Presents… The Big Steppers Tour featuring K.Dot’s proteges Baby Keem and Tanna Leone — brought to you by Amazon Music, Cash App and Rotation.
MORE: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ Album Is Here
Kicking off in Oklahoma City July 19, the 65-city tour runs nationwide all summer long with its last U.S. stop in Los Angeles on September 15 before heading for international terrains from October to December with stops including Amsterdam, London and Sydney. General admission tickets go on sale worldwide May 20 at 12 PM local time via the Oklama website. The same website Kendrick used to announce Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would be his “final” album with Top Dawg Entertainment.
For U.S. dates, the first tickets to the tour will be made available via an exclusive Cash App presale starting one day earlier at 10 AM local time.
See complete 2022 tour dates below.
Tue Jul 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Thu Jul 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Jul 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sat Jul 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sun Jul 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud
Wed Jul 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Fri Jul 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Sat Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun Jul 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Tue Aug 02 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Thu Aug 04 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Fri Aug 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Aug 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 07 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena
Tue Aug 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Wed Aug 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Aug 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tue Aug 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Thu Aug 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Fri Aug 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat Aug 20 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Sun Aug 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tue Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Wed Aug 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Fri Aug 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sat Aug 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sun Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Wed Aug 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thu Sep 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Tue Sep 06 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University
Wed Sep 07 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Fri Sep 09 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sat Sep 10 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Tue Sep 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Wed Sep 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Fri Oct 07 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Mon Oct 10 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
Tue Oct 11 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena
Thu Oct 13 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
Sat Oct 15 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
Mon Oct 17 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
Wed Oct 19 – Oslo, NO – Telenor Arena
Fri Oct 21 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Mon Oct 24 – Stuttgart, DE – Scheleyerhalle
Tue Oct 25 – Zurich, CH – Hallenstadion
Wed Oct 26 – Laussane, CH – Vaudoise Aréna
Fri Oct 28 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
Sun Oct 30 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
Mon Oct 31 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle
Wed Nov 02– Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Thu Nov 03 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Fri Nov 04 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Sat Nov 05 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon Nov 07 – London, UK – The O2
Tue-Nov 08 – London, UK – The O2
Sun Nov 13 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
Wed Nov 16 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Thu Dec 01 – Perth, AUS – RAC Arena
Sun Dec 04 – Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena
Thu Dec 08 – Sydney, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena
Mon Dec 12 – Brisbane, AUS – Entertainment Center
Fri Dec 16 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
MORE: Kendrick Lamar Reveals ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ Cover Art
A double album that also includes Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers features Kodak Black, Sampha, Blxst, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Sam Dew and actress Taylour Paige (“Zola”). The new album marks Lamar’s first album in five years since the release of his Pultizer Prize-winning DAMN. in 2017.
See the tour’s promotional flyer above that advertises “Come help Mr. Morale get out of the box.”
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As the investigation into Astroworld continues, the Houston Police Department is looking for the help of attendees. On Twitter, the Houston PD asked for fans to upload their pictures and videos to an FBI website.
“Houston Police Detectives have already viewed countless hours of video evidence as part of our ongoing investigation into the Astroworld event,” said the Houston Police Department in a statement. “To ensure that we have captured all possible evidence for a complete investigation, we have partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for additional technical assistance.”
The FBI isn’t the only one investigating Astroworld. Congress will launch an investigation into the concert that claimed the lives of 10 people.
The involvement of Live Nation in the planning and safety of the November event will be the subject of a House Oversight Committee hearing. The committee has asked the entertainment company for information by early January, with a briefing to follow.
CNN reported, in a letter to Live Nation, the congress committee said, “Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival. The panel noted reports of inadequate security and medical staff at the venue, the placement of barricades, and a failure to heed warning signs.”
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