Music

Ticketmaster might have kicked a hornet nest with the disastrous rollout of Taylor Swift‘s presale tickets because some of her fans, who also happen to be lawyers, are looking into ways to take action against the ticketing giant.

Mashable reports a group of “Swiftie lawyers” created a LLC titled Vigilante Legal — in honor of Taylor’s song “Vigilante S***” —  shortly after the ticketing fiasco to strategize over any potential legal recourse.

Blake Barnett, the 30-year-old lawyer who started Vigilante Legal, explained, “Something needs to be done. They’re violating antitrust laws. The monopoly merger should have never been allowed to happen between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.” She adds her message resonated beyond Swifties and non-fans are helping the cause, such as by looking to see if the Sherman Antitrust Act, which guarantees competition in the marketplace, has been violated.

In the meantime, these lawyers are reaching out to fans who also took part in the presale to gather evidence against Ticketmaster for a report they intend to file with the Federal Trade Commission. They will share their findings and opinions with politicians via an amicus brief.

It should be noted politicians such as Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have openly criticized Ticketmaster in the wake of the ticketing fiasco.

In addition to Vigilante Legal, nearly 50,000 Swifties have signed an Action Network petition demanding that Live Nation and Ticketmaster be broken up and requesting the Department of Justice investigate them.

As previously reported, Live Nation is being investigated by the Justice Department’s antitrust division for any potential abuse of power and to determine whether it “maintains a monopoly over the industry.” 

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Say it ain’t so, Travis Barker broke his toe.

The Blink-182 drummer revealed the injury Monday in an Instagram Story featuring an X-ray of his foot alongside the caption, “Broke my toe.” Ever the professional, Barker also shared a video of him drumming while wearing his newly fitted foot brace.

The toe injury is yet another health issue Barker’s dealt with this year. In June, he was hospitalized with pancreatitis, and just two months later, he caught COVID-19.

In between recovering from his various ailments, Barker and Mark Hoppus reunited with their former Blink bandmate Tom DeLonge to release a new single called “Edging.” A new Blink album is in the works, and a world tour is set to launch in March 2023.

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Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine wants to play another Big 4 concert, and he thinks it’s up to Metallica to make that happen.

Metallica and Megadeth make up half of the so-called “Big 4” of thrash metal, alongside Slayer and Anthrax. All four groups took the stage together for a run of shows between 2010 and 2011, including one at New York City’s Yankee Stadium.

While Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax have stayed active, Slayer called it quits in 2019. However, Mustaine still feels that another Big 4 concert is possible.

“I really think it’s time for the guys in Metallica to step up, and us do one last round, see if we can get Slayer to come out of retirement and do a ‘Big 4 passing of the torch’ to the new Big 4,” Mustaine tells Songfacts.

As for who would be a part of that new Big 4, Mustaine says that “would remain to be seen,” but mentions bands including Lamb of God and Trivium.

“I think it would be really cool symbolically if we did something at like, the LA Coliseum, even if it’s one show and that’s it,” Mustaine says of the potential concert. “Slayer is from Los Angeles, so it would probably make it more convenient for them to go home at night. I personally have been hoping for this for a while, and I keep asking and asking and asking.”

“They’re just not into it,” he adds, presumably referring to Metallica. “But that’s up to them.”

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Billy Porter is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next month.

The Emmy, Tony and Grammy-winning entertainer will be honored with the 2,741st star on the legendary walk on December 1 at 11:30 a.m. PT. The star, in the Live Performance/Live Theatre category, will be located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard, near the Pantages Theatre and East Town.  Soon-to-be-announced guest speakers will also be part of the ceremony.

“We are thrilled to be honoring award-winning actor Billy Porter with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez says in a statement. “His performances leave everyone wanting more!”

The ceremony will be livestreamed on WalkofFame.com.

This Thursday night, Porter will be performing at Bloomingdale’s holiday window unveiling in New York City.

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Lukas Graham is adding another color to his musical rainbow.

The Danish singer has announced the release of his new album 4 (The Pink Album). It follows 3 (The Purple Album) and his self-titled second release, also known as the Blue Album.  All the albums feature the same artwork — an image of a 1992 painting called The Lady with the Bottles — but in different colors.

The album features guest appearances by G-Eazy, country star Mickey Guyton and Khalid. Lukas has just released a video for the Khalid collaboration, “Wish You Were Here,” which was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder.

“When I watch the video to ‘Wish You Were Here,’ the lyrics magnify and reverberate inside my heart,” Lukas says in the video’s comments. “Missing the ones I love the most is a terrible feeling, [but] luckily I get to see most of them again. I love the way the visual captures the vast loneliness of the lyrics.”

As for the album, it was written following his 2020 decision to get sober and focus on his family: He and his wife have two daughters.  In a statement, the “7 Years” singer says the album is “pure self-reflection,” adding, “I’m not saying I’ll never have a drink ever again, but I went clean. It had gotten to the point of self-medicating, so I stopped.”

“Over the past couple of years, it became fun to write songs again, go to rehearsal, and work with music,” he adds. “I embraced the art of it. I’m not trying to be a professional anymore, because all I want to do is be a happy amateur.”

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Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey have been in Tokyo for the past few days, so that’s evidently where they’re celebrating Hailey’s 26th birthday, which is Tuesday.

“HAPPY BIRFDAY (in Japan) TO MY FAVORITE HUMAN BEING XOXO YOU MAKE LIFE MAGIC,” Justin wrote on Instagram. “OBSESSED WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. LOVE YOU BUM BUM.”  He added several photos of the couple together in Japan: standing in a bamboo grove, posing on a city street and feeding koi in a garden.

Ever the supportive husband, Justin also posted a photo of himself on his Instagram Story trying out the newest product Hailey launched Tuesday as part of her Rhode cosmetics line: a limited-edition Peptide Lip Treatment in the flavor “Vanilla Cake.”  Justin wrote, “That vanilla cake hits different baby. Whoah, my favorite thus far.”

In September, Justin and Hailey celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary. At the time, Justin wrote, “Happy anniversary to my best friend and wifey @haileybieber. thanks for making me better in every way.”

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With Thanksgiving just days away, it’s a great time to express gratitude and reflect on the best parts of our lives. On the red carpet of Sunday night’s American Music Awards, J.I.D. took time to discuss the highlights following the August release of his album The Forever Story.

“Just seeing the reception. It’s the most love I’ve ever got from an album. People consistently talking about it,” he said. “And then just being able to tour, we sold out major tours. Like just doing that, like being able to share the music with the world.” He also noted he was thankful for the opportunity to be at the awards show.

Another topic that came up: J.I.D’s Thanksgiving plate.

When asked what he wanted to eat on turkey day, J.I.D. said, “I need oxtails,” noting he wants them done the Jamaican way. After all, he’s “allergic to shrimp, crab and lobster, so I can’t have any of that.”

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