Entertainment
Live Nation Verdict: Jury Says Concert Giant Is An Illegal Monopoly in Total Defeat
A jury found Wednesday (April 15) that Live Nation and Ticketmaster violated federal and state antitrust laws by dominating the live music industry, capping off a blockbuster trial with a verdict that could ultimately see the two concert giants broken up.
After a five-week trial in Manhattan federal court, jurors sided with a coalition of state attorneys general who sued Live Nation. The states argued during closing statements that the concert giant was a “monopolistic bully” that had harmed competition and driven up ticket prices for fans.
In its verdict, the jury handed Live Nation a total defeat — finding that the company illegally monopolized the market for ticketing services, concert ticketing and the use of amphitheaters, and that it illegally tied the use of its venues to its concert promotion services. The jury said fans overpaid by $1.72 per ticket.
Following the verdict, all eyes will turn to Judge Arun Subramanian, who must now decide whether to order Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster — something critics have long demanded and the states have said is the goal of their case. Such orders are drastic and rare, though, and the judge could instead merely ban certain anti-competitive conduct.
Live Nation is certain to challenge the outcome, first to Subramanian and then to a federal appeals court.
New York Attorney General Letitia James celebrated the verdict as a “landmark victory” in a statement Wednesday.
“For far too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have taken advantage of fans and artists by raising prices for tickets and stifling any competition that threatened their power,” said James. “A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process. I am proud to have led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in bringing this case and look forward to continuing our work to hold Live Nation and Ticketmaster accountable.”
Reps for Live Nation did not immediately return a request for comment.
The U.S. Department of Justice and dozens of states sued in 2024, 14 years after Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged with the blessing of federal antitrust regulators. The feds claimed the company had since grown into a monopoly that illegally dominated the live music industry: “It is time to break it up,” said then-attorney general Merrick Garland.
But a week after the trial started last month, DOJ agreed to a surprise settlement with Live Nation — a move that reportedly came after President Donald Trump personally pushed for it. The deal required key changes in business practices but, crucially, would not require the company to divest Ticketmaster. Following that, dozens of states said that settlement was insufficient, and instead pushed ahead with the trial.
Over five weeks of testimony, jurors heard from venue bosses like former Barclays Center CEO John Abbamondi, who claimed Live Nation threatened to divert concerts if he switched to rival ticketer SeatGeek. Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino later took the stand, where he denied such threats and said his company had simply outperformed its rivals to achieve its success: “I’m very proud.”
Jurors also heard from AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano; current Barclays Center boss Laurie Jacoby; several other sports execs, promoters and venue operators; multiple Live Nation and Ticketmaster execs, like president of touring Omar Al-joulani; Drake’s manager Adel Nur, also known as Future The Prince; and numerous economists and other expert witnesses.
Live Nation, repped at trial by a team from the law firm Latham & Watkins, tried to persuade the jury that the company had secured its massive market share over the past 15 years not through anti-competitive behavior, but by simply being better than its rivals. During his closing statements, Live Nation attorney David Marriott called his client a “fierce competitor.”
But the states, led by veteran antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler, told the jury a very different story: that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had abused their position to enrich themselves at the expense of fans. They cited much-publicized Slack messages in which two Live Nation execs joked about “taking advantage” of “stupid” fans with prices and fees: “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.”
“Who talks like this? What type of company uses this language?” Kessler asked the jury in closing statements on Thursday (April 9). “The answer, I think you will find, is a monopolist who views itself to be above the law.”
With Wednesday’s verdict, the jury showed that argument worked. It took them four days to deliberate, sifting through weeks of testimony and mountains of evidence submitted by both sides. As is typical with verdicts, there was no stated explanation for why the jurors sided with the states.
Business
Two-Steppin’: Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Leads Billboard Hot 100 for Sixth Week, ‘Be Her’ Hits Top 10
Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” continues for a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, dating to its first week atop the chart, when it became her first leader in mid-February.
Concurrently, Langley claims her second Hot 100 top 10 as “Be Her” bounds four places to No. 8. Both songs are from her sophomore LP, Dandelion, released Friday (April 10).
“Choosin’ Texas” concurrently tops the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart for a milestone 20th week, while “Be Her” holds at its No. 2 high on the survey. Notably, Langley becomes the second woman to chart two titles in the top 10 of the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs simultaneously — Taylor Swift first did so with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “Red” for a week in October 2012.
Further, Langley and Olivia Dean combine to make history among women in the Hot 100’s top 10. Read on for details in the full rundown of this week’s Hot 100 top 10 below.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts dated April 18, 2026, will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 14. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram. Plus, for all chart rules and explanations, click here.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Entertainment
Asha Bhosle, One of India’s Most Versatile Bollywood Singers, Dies at 92
Asha Bhosle, one of India’s most versatile Bollywood singers whose performances shaped the country’s musical memory and modern cinema, has died. She was 92.
The legendary singer across genres died Sunday (April 12) of multiple organ failure at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, Pratit Samdani, a physician at the hospital said. Her son, Anand Bhosle, told reporters that her last rites will be performed on Monday.
Asha was admitted at the hospital on late Saturday with a chest infection and exhaustion, her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle said in a social media post.
Asha’s timeless voice resonated across a film-obsessed India for nearly eight decades, recorded on about 12,000 songs. She boldly embraced cabaret and Western-influenced melodies to forge a distinct musical identity that stood uniquely apart from her sister, Lata Mangeshkar, herself a legendary voice revered as the “Melody Queen.”
Asha’s death was widely condoled.
“I am deeply saddened” by her passing, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media post.
“Her unique musical journey spanning decades has enriched our cultural heritage and touched the hearts of countless people around the world,” Modi said. “From soulful melodies to spirited compositions, her voice carried a timeless brilliance.”
Born on Sept. 8, 1933, Asha Bhosle was initiated into music by her father Dinanath Mangeshkar, who was also a trained singer. All her four siblings became accomplished singers and musicians.
Asha’s first marriage, in 1949, ended in separation in 1960. Her second marriage was to iconic music composer R.D. Burman in 1980. She is survived by a son and grandchildren.
Entertainment
BINI Previews ‘Big Responsibility’ of Its Coachella 2026 Set & Breaks Down New EP ‘Signals’
If anyone needed another signal that BINI is about to break out big time, Coachella 2026 is your sign.
Just after releasing new EP Signals and music video for the single “Blush,” the Filipino girl group will see its docuseries hit Netflix just hours before the group performs on Friday (April 10) for the opening day of Coachella. The octet’s 4:15 p.m. PT set at the Mojave stage — in between fellow rising stars Slayyyter and Central Cee — marks a historic first with BINI’s debut marking the official arrival of a Philippines-based pop group’s performance at the influential tastemaker festival.
“We’re very aware that we are the first homegrown Filipino girl group to perform on the Coachella stage,” Maloi, one of BINI’s powerhouse vocalists, tells Billboard over a phone call in the midst of rehearsals. “The pressure will always be there, but we’ll take it on in a positive light for us to push further and to boost ourselves. And we know that there are a lot of people behind us who have our backs.”
Leader Jhoanna adds, “There’s definitely a responsibility — a big responsibility — but we don’t let it get into our heads. We don’t let it turn into pressure, we just see it as our purpose.”
BINI emphasizes that the group sees the opportunity as a way to further spotlight and open doors for more Filipino talent, with Jhoanna adding, “We take every moment and every stage as an opportunity for us to show what we have, what we prepared and what Filipinos got.”
The group also let out a loud cheer when noting how P-pop boy band SB19 will perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer.
“ Everything that we’ve been doing from preparations to the final outcome will start to open doors for more Filipino talent,” singer-rapper Colet says, “because we have a lot!”
Just like the group’s music moves from the effervescent bubblegum pop of “Blink Twice” to heavy rhythmic dance on “Shagidi” and harmony-heavy ballads such as “Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi,” Signals ranges from festival-ready, feel-good tropical-pop tracks while also dipping into vintage beats such as Janet Jackson-inspired New Jack Swing on “Sugar Rush,” while “Step Back” winks to the ’00s pop and hip-hop production sound helmed by the Neptunes. BINI’s watchlist for Coachella is equally diverse, including the likes of Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, BIGBANG, Major Lazer, Labrinth, Fujii Kaze, Disclosure, Tinashe, PinkPantheress and KATSEYE, with the girls hoping that reports that surprise appearances from The Marias as well as Anyma bringing LISA of BLACKPINK prove true.
With a new record, docuseries premiere, festival debut and fresh music video all within days of each other, the group is hoping both new and longtime fans — affectionately known as BLOOM — can keep up with all the excitement.
“We have been asked if we are overwhelmed,” youngest member Sheena shares. “But it’s more like if other people will be overwhelmed because it’s such a jam-packed day on the 9th and 10th. Right now, we’re doing great. We’ve been here in L.A. for a week, so we’re pumped up. It’s not that cold, it’s not that hot, so I think it’s perfect — perfect for Coachella.”
Following BINI’s announcement as Billboard Philippines‘ Global Force honoree at Billboard‘s Women in Music 2026, read on for members Jhoanna, Maloi, Colet, Sheena, Aiah, Gwen, Stacey and Mikha exclusively break down Signals below.
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