Live Nation

Live Nation CEO Ordered To Attend Deposition For Travis Scott Astroworld Disaster

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While Travis Scott and Live Nation are slowly getting out of the woods when it comes to the Astroworld Festival tragedy in 2021, things aren’t over. In case you didn’t know, the concert series resulted in ten dead and hundreds injured following a catastrophic crowd crush during Scott’s headlining set, prompting investigations and hundreds of lawsuits against him and the touring company for mismanagement, lack of planning, unfulfilled safety guidelines, and other similar issues. Even though La Flame and Live Nation settled most of these lawsuits, the Texas Supreme Court continues to litigate as a jury trial is on the horizon.

Furthermore, the court reportedly ruled last week on October 15 (per Billboard) that Live Nation’s CEO, Michael Rapino, must face a deposition for his alleged involvement in the Travis Scott Astroworld disaster. The company had petitioned to halt the move, as they accused victims of using him as a scapegoat to “harass Live Nation and to coerce settlements.” But the Texas Supreme Court upheld a judge’s ruling earlier this summer that orders Rapino to testify. Some victims continue to move in the direction of a jury trial, but a purported bellwether trial faced a delay to February of next year from an original start date of this week.

Read More: Australian Travis Scott Fans Act Completely Out Of Control At “Circus Maximus” Concert

Travis Scott At The 2024 BET Hip-Hop Awards

Travis Scott Astroworld Festival Live Nation CEO Deposition Hip Hop News
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 08: In this image released on October 15, 2024, Travis Scott accepts the I Am Hip Hop Award onstage during the BET Hip Hop Awards 2024 at Drai’s Beachclub & Nightclub on October 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

As for why the court delayed this trial, it’s due to the various settlements that Travis Scott and Live Nation reached. Nevertheless, the latter argued that Michael Rapino was “not involved in the festival” or its decision-making process. “Mr. Rapino’s only connection to the festival was as Live Nation’s ultimate executive,” defense attorneys expressed. “Any knowledge he may possess was obtained from others who have knowledge superior to his own.” In response, victims’ lawyers cited an email that Rapino sent the night of the tragedy, telling the company’s festival director to hold off on canceling the festival until they had more updates on the death toll. “If 5 died we would cancel,” he reportedly wrote.

“Remarkably, Live Nation claims that Rapino was not the decision-maker on whether to cancel the Festival,” victims’ attorneys shared. “This email proves otherwise, and plaintiffs want an opportunity to examine Rapino about it.” They claim that Live Nation’s legal team obfuscated Michael Rapino’s actual involvement in the decision-making process of Travis Scott’s festival. We still have no word on when this deposition would take place, so keep checking in with HNHH for the latest updates.

Read More: Travis Scott Shatters Drake’s Ticket Sales Record With His “Circus Maximus” Tour

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Live Nation Faces $5 Million Class Action Lawsuit Over Ticketmaster Data Breach

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Live Nation is facing a massive class action lawsuit over the recent data breach from Ticketmaster which allegedly affected upwards of 560 million customers. The group ShinyHunters harvested users’ full names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and credit card information. The complaint accused the parent company of taking nearly two months to even notice the breach and also of having inadequate security protections in place.

The lawsuit cites several damages including invasion of privacy, an increase in spam calls, texts, and emails, and much more. “The Data Breach was a direct result of Defendant’s failure to implement adequate and reasonable data protection procedures, including vendor management, necessary to protect consumers’ PII from a foreseeable and preventable risk of unauthorized disclosure,” the lawsuit reads, as caught by The Hollywood Reporter.

Read More: Drake Shocks Fans By Allegedly Admitting To Being Forced To Tour By Live Nation

Live Nation Faces New Lawsuit

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 23: In this photo illustration, the Live. Nation app on May 23, 2024, in New York City. The Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit that accuses Ticketmaster and its parent company Live. Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry to the detriment of concertgoers and artists alike. The lawsuit seeks to structure how the company operates and includes breaking apart the two entities. (Photo Illustration by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

It continues: “Defendant disregarded the rights of Plaintiff and Class Members by, inter alia, intentionally, willfully, recklessly, or negligently failing to take adequate and reasonable measures to ensure its data systems, or the data systems of its vendors, were protected against unauthorized intrusions; failing to take standard and reasonably available steps to prevent the Data Breach; and failing to provide Plaintiff and ClassMembers prompt and accurate notice of the Data Breach. Plaintiff and Class Members are now at risk because of Defendant’s wrongful conduct.” With the lawsuit, users are seeking $5 million in damages.

The latest legal action comes after the Department of Justice sued Live Nation, earlier this year, for allegedly acting as a monopoly, something the company has denied. Be on the lookout for further updates on Live Nation on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q’s Canceled Toronto Show Was At Venue Reportedly Ran By Drake & Live Nation

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Live Nation Is Being Sued In A Class Action Over The April 2024 Ticketmaster User Information Hack

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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Live Nation, accusing it of not securing user information after an April 2024 hack of Ticketmaster that harvested the personal info of more than 560 million customers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit was filed in California federal court on Friday (October 11) and demands at least $5 million in damages. Ticketmaster allegedly took nearly two months to uncover the hack, then another two months to inform customers their information had been compromised.

THR credited the attack to the hacker group ShinyHunters, which exploited vulnerabilities with Ticketmaster’s third-party server host, Snowflake, and threatened to leak the info on the dark web if not paid a $500,000 ransom. According to the lawsuit, Ticketmaster did not ensure that Snowflake had taken adequate security measures to protect user data, and retained personal information that it should have deleted. That information was also being sold to business partners and data brokers.

ShinyHunters has also been credited with hacks of AT&T, GitHub, and Pizza Hut, stealing over 900 million customer records. The stolen information can be used in further identity theft, such as opening fraudulent credit cards and other loans.

Ticketmaster, which is part of Live Nation, is also the subject of another lawsuit from the US Department of Justice, alleging that the two companies’ partnership constitutes a monopoly employing illegal means to suppress competition.

Drake Shocks Fans By Allegedly Admitting To Being Forced To Tour By Live Nation

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No matter how close or distant you are from a former prospective partner, never think that you can’t come up in their tea years down the road. That’s exactly what’s happening to Drake right now, as he found himself in the middle of a social media spat between his supposed ex Jhonni Blaze and her former friend Ghetto Barbie. The latter leaked some alleged text message and voice memo exchanges between Blaze and the Toronto superstar in which he seems to address their past relationship and respectfully draw a line in the sand. However, for hip-hop fans, there was a much more interesting part of these alleged leaked messages.

As you can see in the post below, Drake allegedly hints at the dynamic that he had with Live Nation for his It’s All A Blur tour, first with 21 Savage as a co-headliner and then with J. Cole, plus plenty of special guests. This adds to theories that he either got stuck in a deal that forced him to do these shows, is part of a highly lucrative partnership that is actually beneficial, or somewhere in between. Of course, the most likely scenario is that – if true– The Boy just phrased this text message in this way because of how busy the tour schedule was.

Read More: Dame Dash Claims Drake Offered To Buy His “Reasonable Doubt” Share

Drake’s Alleged Text Messages With Jhonni Blaze

Still, it raised a lot of eyebrows considering his past lyrics using that word, and it fuels speculation that his moves and releases are contract obligations for corporations and not fully of his own volition. However, is that really such a rarity in the music industry? These dynamics sadly exist for plenty of artists, and we don’t really know for sure how Drake would really characterize his own relationship with Live Nation. As such, maybe this is a case of people holding him to higher standards than they would any other rapper or musician.

The other question is this: why would Drake feel “forced” to tour if it would still make him a lot of money? Why did he allegedly turn down the Super Bowl halftime show twice? We don’t even know if these are legitimate questions, and we probably will never truly know the answer. But it’s interesting to see – at least with a short alleged glance – that the 6ix God might be moving much differently with his business than what many fans assume.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Responds To Viral Clip About Drake Using Him

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Lucki Slams Live Nation During “The Gemini Tour” Concert

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Lucki went off on Live Nation at multiple points during his The Gemini Tour concert in Indianapolis on Friday night. In doing so, he accused the company of treating him like a “robot” and underpaying him to perform. He explained that he didn’t want to be there that night, but did so for the kids in attendance.

“I’m not a f*cking robot. You can’t book people on shows back to back and you not really paying me tonight what the f*ck I wanna be paid. And the only reason I’m doing this sh*t is because Indiana is close to f*cking home. I swear to God. But I’m not a f*cking robot,” he said. “Literally, I’m rich as f*ck. I stay in the f*cking crib. I don’t got f*cking time for this. You want me to perform back to back, you need to pay me like I wanna be paid.”

Read More: Lucki Cancels Canadian Tour Due To Illness: “I’ll Be Back Soon”

Lucki Performs During Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival

BRIDGEVIEW, ILLINOIS – JUNE 15: Lucki performs during the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival at SeatGeek Stadium on June 15, 2024, in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)

From there, Lucki stopped the show one more time to call out Live Nation if they refused to pay him after his comments. “I’m only doing this sh*t for the f*cking kids,” he remarked. “I don’t give a f*ck. If I perform 20 minutes and leave, I don’t give a f*ck. I’m not tryna finesse the check or nothing.” Later on, he asked the crowd to join him in saying, “f*ck Live Nation.”

Lucki has been on tour since July when he embarked across the country to promote his latest studio album, GEMIN!. The project features collaborations with Lil Yachty, Future, 42 Dugg, Rylo Rodriguez, and more artists. He prepared for the release with two EPs, earlier this year, in the form of 2 Faced and 2 Faced, Pt. 2. Be on the lookout for further updates on Lucki on HotNewHipHop.

Lucki Pauses His Indianapolis Concert

Read More: Lucki Keeps Up His Consistency With 20-Track Project “GEMINI!”

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Chris Brown, Yella Beezy, And Live Nation Were Reportedly Named In A $50 Million Lawsuit Over A Supposed ’11:11 Tour’ Assault

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Chris Brown is hot water. The “No Guidance” singer is currently traveling around the country for his 11:11 Tour, and while in Fort Worth, Texas, he was reportedly involved in a full-out brawl.

According to TMZ, Brown, members of his crew, including Yella Beezy and Sinko Ceej as Live Nation, have been named in a $50 million lawsuit. The documents obtained by the outlet allege that on July 20, the group physically assaulted four fans backstage at Dickies Arena.

The supposed victims (Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush, and Da Marcus Powell) claimed that following Brown’s performance they were invited backstage. When they met up with Brown, they praised his performance earlier in the evening. But after a brief friendly exchange, things toured sour.

Bush said that a member of Brown’s team attempted to rile the entertainer up, recounting a supposed ongoing beef. He went on to say, they were immediately pounced on by up to ten people. An alleged assailant known as Hood Boss supposedly threw a chair, which struck him in the head. He also claimed Brown commanded Yella Beezy and others to join in on the alleged assault, which he says lasted 10 minutes.

In a statement, the attorney representing the alleged victims, Tony Buzbee, said each of the four men sustained severe injuries which required medical treatments. As of today (July 22), one of the supposed victims is still in the hospital.

The alleged victims have also reportedly filed for restraining orders against Brown, Yella Beezy, and Sinko Ceej.

Is Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter Tour’ A Las Vegas Residency?

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Beyoncé nearly caused the world to stop yet again. This time, it isn’t the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer’s doing.

Today (June 2), Live Nation resparked rumors that Beyoncé will hit the road soon. Following the release of her latest album, Cowboy Carter (Renaissance Act II), fans began to prepare their Western outfit for a potential world tour.

Based on a post from the event promotion company, their efforts weren’t in vain. Continue below for more information.

Is Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter Tour’ A Las Vegas Residency?

On June 2, Live Nation took to their Las Vegas division’s official Instagram page to tease that a good ole rodeo would be headed to Sin City. “Vegas, hold your horses…wild horses, that is! Big announcement coming tomorrow,” wrote the company.

Immediately after the teaser was shared, the Beyhive swung into full action. Many jumped for joy at the thought of Beyoncé in Las Vegas (specifically The Sphere).

However, after the superfans did a bit more digging, their hopes were shattered when others claimed that the silhouette in the image might actually be Lainey Wilson.

A post the day prior showed on the company’s main page of Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour seemingly confirmed users’ theory.

It doesn’t seem that there is any truth to the Beyoncé Las Vegas residency rumor. But don’t give up hope completely. Back in March, The-Dream hinted that a Cowboy Carter Tour was certainly in the works.

Beyonce Vegas Residency Rumors Run Wild After Cryptic Live Nation Teaser

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Rumors that Beyonce will soon have a residency in Vegas have been circulating for some time, and now, fans are more suspicious than ever. Earlier today, Live Nation Vegas took to Instagram to share a cryptic teaser about an exciting announcement coming tomorrow. The post features a photo of a cowboy hat-clad woman in the shadows, which many think could be the Queen herself.

Of course, the rumors are unconfirmed for now, though some fans are completely convinced. “Vegas, hold your horses…wild horses that is! Big announcement coming tomorrow!” Live Nation’s caption reads. Instagram users are hard at work debating in the comments section, picking apart the post in attempts to determine if a Cowboy Carter residency is imminent.

Read More: Tina Knowles Divulges About Beyonce’s Advice To Blue Ivy On Handling Haters

Live Nation Post Leaves Beyonce Fans Suspicious

“If this isn’t beyonce yall wrong bcs yall know what you doing,” one fan writes. “Delulu hive can’t breathe,” someone else says. While many believe that there’s a good chance their announcement has something to do with Beyonce, others think it’s nothing but wishful thinking. “Yall this is not Beyoncé, yall even said this abt the Country Coachella weekend & she wasn’t there💀💀God save delulu hive,” one critical commenter says. “You can literally tell thats not beyonce look at the body,” another insists.

Aside from Beyonce, plenty of fans also theorize that they could be announcing something in relation to Lainey Wilson, who has a song called “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” which could be connected to the caption. It’s to be seen whether or not these theories prove to be true when the announcement is finally made. What do you think of rumors flying that Live Nation might be announcing a Beyonce residency in Vegas? Do you think it’s true, or is it nothing but wishful thinking? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

Read More: Beyonce And Big Freedia Sued Over “Break My Soul” Copyright

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Ticketmaster and Live Nation – A Groundbreaking Lawsuit

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Ticketmaster to Reportedly Mandate COVID 19 Vaccines Negative Tests for Live Events

The U.S. Department of Justice’s groundbreaking lawsuit to split up Ticketmaster and Live Nation has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing battle against monopolistic practices. The lawsuit, which alleges that the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation has created an unfair monopoly in the live events ticketing market, can potentially reshape the music and entertainment business landscape.

The merger between Ticketmaster, the world’s largest ticketing company, and Live Nation, a global leader in live entertainment promotion and venue management, was completed in 2010 amid concerns about its potential anti-competitive effects. Critics argued that the combined entity would wield unprecedented market power, stifling competition and driving consumer prices.

The Department of Justice’s lawsuit represents a culmination of years of scrutiny and investigation into the alleged anti-competitive practices of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The complaint alleges that the merger has enabled the company to dominate every aspect of the live events ecosystem, from ticketing and promotion to venue ownership and artist management, effectively locking out competitors and controlling access to the marketplace.

The lawsuit’s implications are far-reaching and potentially profound for artists, fans, and the broader entertainment industry. By challenging Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s dominance, the Department of Justice is seeking to level the playing field and create a more open and competitive marketplace that benefits both consumers and industry stakeholders.

Critics of Ticketmaster and Live Nation have long accused the companies of exploiting their market power to extract exorbitant fees from consumers and impose restrictive terms on artists and venues. The lawsuit represents a significant opportunity to address these concerns and restore fairness and transparency to the live events industry.

If successful, the lawsuit could lead to the divestiture of certain assets or the imposition of structural remedies to foster competition and innovation in the ticketing and live events markets. This could include measures such as requiring Ticketmaster to sell off certain venues or ticketing platforms or imposing restrictions on its ability to enter into exclusive contracts with artists and venues.

The outcome of the lawsuit is likely to have far-reaching implications for the future of the live events industry. It could pave the way for greater competition, lower ticket prices, and increased choice for consumers while boosting independent promoters, ticketing companies, and venue operators.

As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes will be on the Department of Justice and its efforts to rein in Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s alleged monopoly power. Whatever the outcome, the lawsuit represents a watershed moment in the ongoing struggle to promote competition and protect consumers in an increasingly consolidated and vertically integrated entertainment landscape.

The post Ticketmaster and Live Nation – A Groundbreaking Lawsuit first appeared on The Source.

The post Ticketmaster and Live Nation – A Groundbreaking Lawsuit appeared first on The Source.

Over Half A Billion Ticketmaster Customers Apparently Just Had Their Personal Data Stolen

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With how ingrained shopping and doing other things online are in our lives, this means that a ton of companies have access to our personal data. Ideally, they’re taking care to keep it safe, but sometimes, things happen. Well, it looks like a thing just happened: As Consequence notes, the hacking group ShinyHunters claims to have stolen the personal data of 560 million Ticketmaster customers.

ShinyHunters says they’ve stolen 1.3 terrabytes of data from Ticketmaster, including a lot of sensitive information: usernames, contact information, order info, and partial payment info like the last four digits of credit card numbers and expiration dates. They are offering to sell their haul for $500,000.

Ticketmaster themselves have yet to acknowledge the supposed hacking, but a spokesperson for Australia’s Department Of Home Affairs told the Australian Broadcasting Department it’s “working with Ticketmaster to understand the incident.”

This news arrives while Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation is already not having an awesome time: It was reported last week that the US Department Of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, “accusing [Live Nation Entertainment] of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the live entertainment industry.”

Public sentiment really turned against Ticketmaster in 2022, when the platform had significant issues as tickets for Taylor Swift’s wildly popular The Eras Tour went on sale.