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Since subscribing to Spotify in 2023, Genevieve Capolongo says she’s mostly listened to “lesser-known artists” like Próxima Parada, Julia Cooper and Brusco. But she says the streamer’s recommendation tools keep serving her “mainstream, major-label tracks” by Drake, Zach Bryan and Justin Bieber.
According to her lawyers, that’s because Spotify was paid to do so.
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In a lawsuit filed last week, Capolongo claims the streamer’s Discovery Mode and editorial playlists amount to a “modern form of payola,” allowing labels to secretly boost their tracks with a “deceptive pay-for-play” program. She says she wouldn’t have subscribed if she knew that Spotify’s recommendations had been sold “to the highest bidder.”
The case is sometimes light on specifics, like citing unnamed “industry insiders” about alleged illicit payments or “disproportionate” rates of major-label music. Spotify, for its part, called the lawsuit “nonsense” and said it was “riddled with misunderstandings and inaccuracies.”
But it targets a program that has raised eyebrows for years — and comes at a time when Spotify has faced multiple accusations about manipulation on the platform. For more, go read our full story here.
You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, go subscribe here.
Other top stories this week…
DRAKE’S APPEAL – As Drake asks an appeals court to revive his lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” I asked legal experts what his lawyers might argue — and whether it’ll work.
TAYLOR V. TRUMP? – Taylor Swift fans want her to sue the Trump administration after it used “The Fate of Ophelia” in a TikTok video. She probably could, but almost certainly won’t.
DISJOINT VENTURE – 10K Projects, the Warner-owned label founded by Elliot Grainge, is facing a lawsuit claiming it owes millions to Taz Taylor’s Internet Money Records under a joint venture.
FAST & FREE SONGS – How did New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani get clearance to use Bob Dylan’s iconic anthem “The Times They Are A-Changin’” in a campaign ad? It turns out he didn’t.
MJ LITIGATION – Michael Jackson’s estate is locked in a legal battle over abuse allegations from the Cascio siblings, who spent much of their childhoods with the King of Pop.
GORDIAN SLIPKNOT – Slipknot’s lawsuit against a group that has owned slipknot.com for decades has hit an unexpected snag: The shadowy entity has hired a lawyer and is fighting back.
ATLANTA ARREST – Rod Wave was arrested in Atlanta on weapon and drug charges. His lawyer — star defense attorney Drew Findling — says Wave was “unjustly profiled and unlawfully arrested.”
NAME REVEAL? – A “Jane Roe” woman who accused Garth Brooks of sexual assault is refusing to concede defeat in her fight to remain pseudonymous, filing an appeal to avoid disclosing her real name.
NOVEMBER LITIGATION – An ex-manager of Guns N’ Roses is suing the band, claiming it has unfairly blocked the release of his memoir by threatening to sue him and his publisher over a decades-old NDA.
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Fugees rapper Pras Michel must pay a whopping $64 million to the government following his conviction on illegal foreign lobbying and conspiracy charges, a federal judge ruled Thursday (Oct. 30).
The rapper’s lawyers had called such a massive order “grossly disproportionate” to his 2023 conviction, in which Michel was found guilty on accusations that he orchestrated a “foreign influence campaign” to get the U.S. to drop an investigation into fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low.
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But in the ruling on Thursday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said that Michel had “obtained proceeds in the amount of at least $64,923,226 from his offenses,” which included conspiracy, witness tampering and failing to register as an agent of China. The judge’s written opinion explaining her rationale was not made publicly available.
Michel faces sentencing on those same convictions next month, when he could receive a decades-long prison sentence. His attorneys have called for a far lighter sentence of only 36 months. A spokeswoman for Michel did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.
Composed of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Michel, the Fugees rose to fame in the 1990s with hits like “Killing Me Softly,” “Ready or Not” and “Fu-Gee-La.” After splitting up in 1998, the three each had successful solo careers and mostly stayed separate until recent years, when they’ve attempted multiple reunion tours.
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In 2019, Michel was hit with sweeping federal criminal charges over accusations that he funneled money from Low, the mastermind of the billion-dollar 1MDB embezzlement scheme, to a lobbying campaign aimed at getting the first Trump administration to drop its investigation into the disgraced financier. He was also accused of secretly funneling Low’s money to Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, and of later trying to influence an extradition case on behalf of China.
In April 2023, following a trial that included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Michel was convicted on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government.
Thursday’s forfeiture order was delayed by several months after Pras announced in August that he’d had emergency surgery for colon cancer removal. The August hearing was eventually rescheduled for last week, setting the stage for Thursday’s decision.
Following his sentencing next month, Michel will likely appeal both his sentence and the underlying convictions to a higher court.
MediaPunch / Diddy
Sean “Diddy” Combs was transferred to federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on Thursday to begin his 50-month sentence, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman said.
The 55-year-old disgraced music mogul has spent his time at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, before he was sentenced to 50 months (4 years) on two counts of interstate prostitution.
Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking and pleaded not guilty while maintaining his innocence.
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According to NBC News, Combs’ new living arrangements for the next 4 years, Fort Dix prison, is a low-security prison for men that houses up to approximately 4,000 inmates.
Combs’ legal team asked U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian at his sentencing to send him to Fort Dix for drug rehabilitation and an opportunity to be closer to his family.
The news website also reports that Combs’ legal team will seek an expedited appeals schedule while calling the prosecution’s use of the “Mann Act,” which forbids by law traveling across state lines to engage in prostitution, “unfair.”
Diddy is slated to be released on May 8, 2028, and could be let out of prison earlier for good behavior, or have his whole jail sentence commuted if Donald Trump issues him a pardon. Trump is reportedly not considering it at the moment.
Speaking with reporters from the Oval Office, Trump revealed that Diddy’s team did reach out to him in hopes of securing a pardon.
“A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” Trump said. “I call him Puff Daddy, [he] has asked me for a pardon.”
Well, we hope Diddy uses his time behind bars, however long that is, to reflect on life and come out of the experience a fully rehabilitated person.
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THE BIG STORY: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was so big that it has developed its own legal system.
With a record-shattering haul of more than $2 billion face-value ticket sales — and many times that in the secondary market — it’s not surprising that legal disputes have broken out. Don’t forget the old adage in the music industry: “If you write a hit, you get a writ.”
It started immediately after the chaotic pre-sale, when Swift fans filed class actions against Ticketmaster, accusing the company of causing the “disaster” rollout. In August, the Federal Trade Commission sued a ticket broker for allegedly using bots to buy thousands of Eras tickets that it resold for more than $1 million in profit. Just this month, an angry Swiftie sued StubHub for giving her “inferior” seats after she dropped $14,000 on Eras tickets.
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The latest fallout came last week in a criminal case — over a “cybercrime crew” that allegedly stole Eras tickets from StubHub and resold them for a windfall. For more, go read our full story here.
Other top stories this week…
BAND V. LABEL – Powerhouse regional Mexican label Rancho Humilde is locked in a bitter legal dispute with one of its fastest rising acts, the California-based band Fuerza Regida, with allegations of unpaid royalties, unapproved touring deals and “sabotage.”
DIDDY RELEASE DATE – Weeks after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to over four years in prison on prostitution convictions following a sweeping sexual abuse case, inmate records now show when he’s expected to be set free — but a lot could change before then.
MUNI LAWSUIT – Muni Long’s former managers, Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon, are suing the singer for allegedly refusing to pay more than $600,000 worth of promised fees; the Grammy-winning R&B star’s team calls the claims “unfounded.”
BEER BATTLE – Country singer Jameson Rodgers allegedly hurled a “full, unopened beer can” into a concert crowd and hit a fan in the face, resulting in “severe and permanent injuries.” Now, an appeals court says Sony Music can’t escape the ensuing lawsuit.
THE FIGHT GOES ON – Even after A$AP Rocky was acquitted on charges of shooting A$AP Relli on a Hollywood street, the former friends and collaborators continue to battle in a pair of civil lawsuits filed by Relli.
ANTITRUST CASE – Former Oak View Group chief Tim Leiweke, now facing federal bid-rigging charges, is asking a judge for permission to travel to Canada for business next month — a routine motion on paper that underscores how sharply life changes under indictment.
IMPERIAL MARCH – A Washington, D.C., man was allegedly detained after playing John Williams’ legendary “Imperial March” — aka Darth Vader’s music from Star Wars — to protest National Guard troops sent to the city by President Donald Trump, according to a new lawsuit filed by the ACLU.
SAMPLE SPAT – Lizzo is facing a copyright lawsuit over a track she teased on social media to poke fun at Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversy, even though she never actually commercially released it.
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Weeks after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to over four years in prison on prostitution convictions following a sweeping sexual abuse case, inmate records posted by the federal Bureau of Prisons show that Diddy, 55, is now expected to be set free on May 8, 2028.
Combs had already been expected to serve less than the full sentence, thanks to roughly a year of time-served as he sat in jail awaiting his trial and verdict. But the newly-revealed release date would represent an even-earlier release than previously thought — only roughly two years and seven months after his date of sentencing.
Such dates are just estimates, reflecting the “inmate’s projected release date based on BOP calculations.” The earlier-than-expected date could reflect that Combs will serve the final few months of his sentence at a residential reentry center, or halfway house, or his participation in BOP’s drug abuse rehab program, which can sometimes shave months off an inmate’s sentence.
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Reps for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment. Reps for the federal Bureau of Prisons were unavailable for comment, citing the government shutdown.
Once one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, Combs was arrested and charged in September 2024 with racketeering (RICO) and sex trafficking violations. Prosecutors said he ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating “freak-offs” — elaborate events which he allegedly forced ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and other women to have sex with male escorts while he watched and masturbated.
Following a blockbuster trial this spring, jurors issued a verdict clearing Combs on the RICO and sex trafficking charges that could have seen him sentenced to prison for life. But he was still convicted on two lesser counts for transporting Ventura and others across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.
At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to 50 months in prison on those convictions. That was far less than the 11 years sought by prosecutors, but well more than the 14 months his lawyers had asked for. Counting his year of time-served credit, that sentence would seemingly have seen the star released at some point in September or October 2028.
Regardless of BOP estimates, Diddy’s release date could change dramatically if he wins his appeal, which he launched last week at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His lawyers will challenge not only the length of his sentence, but also his underlying convictions themselves.
If such arguments are successful – read what Diddy’s lawyers might argue here – he could get out even earlier than May 2028. But the appeals process is often slow, and Combs will likely serve a sizeable chunk of his prison term before the case is even decided.
That is, unless he’s pardoned or commuted by President Donald Trump – the other big factor could significantly change his release timeline. Though Trump confirmed that Diddy’s team reached out to the administration about such an edict, the White House has publicly denied that it is considering clemency for the convicted mogul.
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A Jamaican man who allegedly stole and resold more 900 tickets to Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour has pleaded guilty to a New York criminal charge.
Tyrone Rose, 20, was arrested in March over allegations that he used backdoor access as an employee of a StubHub contractor to steal the pricey tickets, before forwarding them to a Queens-based accomplice who resold them for more than $635,000 in illegal profit.
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At a court hearing Thursday (Oct. 23), Rose pleaded guilty to a single count of grand larceny in the second degree over the alleged scalping scheme, while a sentencing hearing on that charge was set for January. Rose could face up to 15 years in prison.
The guilty plea was likely part of a deal under which prosecutors could recommend less than the maximum. Rose was also charged with five additional counts, including computer tampering, money laundering and conspiracy, which were not included in Thursday’s guilty plea.
Swift’s Eras Tour wrapped up last year with a record-breaking haul of more than $2 billion in face-value ticket sales over a two-year run that featured 149 stops in 51 cities across 21 countries. Massive demand for tickets led to a chaotic presale in November 2022, sparking calls for ticketing reform; it also created an infamously pricey secondary market, with even basic seats selling for thousands.
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The Eras Tour has also been big business in the courtroom. Swift fans filed class actions against Ticketmaster over the presale, and the Federal Trade Commission is suing a ticket broker for allegedly using bots to buy tickets that it resold for more than $1 million in profit. Just this month, an angry Swiftie sued StubHub for giving her “inferior” seats after she dropped $14,000 on Eras tickets.
In March, Queens prosecutors charged Rose with stealing more than 900 Eras tickets while working at a StubHub contractor in Jamaica called Sutherland. He allegedly abused his position to access a restricted area of StubHub’s network that houses URLs for event tickets that have already been sold, then re-directed them to New York-based co-conspirators who resold them for a windfall.
“These defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift’s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the [expense] of others,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said at the time. “They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit.”
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StubHub was not accused of any wrongdoing. When Rose was arrested, the company said it had promptly reported the scheme to both Sutherland and to law enforcement when uncovered, and had replaced or refunded all affected orders. Sutherland was also not accused of any wrongdoing.
Both an attorney for Rose and a spokesperson for the Queens DA did not return requests for comment on the guilty plea on Friday (Oct. 24).
NurPhoto / Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is down one of his custom vehicles before reaching its destination.
The NY Post reports that Hall of Fame NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal’s custom 2025 Range Rover was stolen in what the company responsible for transporting the tricked-out vehicle described as “a highly coordinated criminal act.”
According to TMZ Sports, the custom vehicle was lifted in Georgia. The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office (GA) told the celebrity gossip site they received a report that a Black luxury SUV that underwent work at a local shop in Dahlonega, GA, was missing.
The 2025 Range Rover, which underwent custom work, including the installation of seats to accommodate O’Neal’s 7’1 frame, was to be transported from Georgia to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by a shipping company, but was stolen by someone impersonating the company, according to law enforcement.
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Effortless Motors, which sold Shaq the vehicle and arranged its transport, is offering a $10K reward for the return of the Range Rover.
Per TMZ Sports:
“Effortless Motors was the authorized selling dealership and arranged transport through a third-party company that appeared fully verified. Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit,” we’re told.
“We take the security and trust of our clients very seriously,” said a spokesperson for Effortless Motors. “This was a highly coordinated criminal act targeting the transport company’s network. We are working closely with law enforcement and federal investigators to recover the vehicle and hold those responsible accountable.”
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing, according to TMZ Sports.
We hope the big fella gets his whip back.
Source: Variety / Getty
Atlanta rapper Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, and other charges related to the 2021 shooting.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced in a news release on Wednesday that Silentó, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another. According to the Associated Press, a murder charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
For those who are unfamiliar with the downfall of the “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” artist and the violent death of his cousin, here’s a quick rundown as reported by AP:
DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Rooks’ body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots.
A family member of Rooks told police that Silentó had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting.
Silentó confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silentó had when he was arrested, authorities said.
In 2020, Silentó, who was a high school junior in 2015 when he released his “Watch Me” smash hit, had been involved in a number of run-ins with the law, some of which involved violence allegedly threatened or committed against others.
In August 2020, he was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, in Los Angeles, he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a stranger’s home looking for his girlfriend, who wasn’t there, and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed.
In 2019, he made an appearance on the medical talk show The Doctors, where he discussed struggling with depression and witnessing violence and mental illness among his family members growing up.
“I’ve been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,” he said.
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You can add the Proud Boys to the growing list of groups unhappy with the United States government. The far-right group has filed a $100 million dollar lawsuit against the administration.
As per Raw Story the organization filed a claim on Friday, June 6 claiming their civil rights had been violated. The submitted is related to the infamous Jan. 6 2021 insurrection that took place at the United States Capital. Four of their leaders Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs, Enrique Tarrio, and Zachary Rehl were all convicted on seditious conspiracy charges for their participation in trying to block the certification of the 2020 election results. Fast forwarded to 2025, President Trump commuted all their sentences but the Proud Boys’ gripe extends beyond the pardon.
“What follows is a parade of horribles: egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal,” the lawsuit reads. “Through the use of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and placing spies to report on trial strategy, the government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the J6 Defendants, the modern equivalent of placing one’s enemies’ heads on a spike outside the town wall as a warning to any who would think to challenge the status quo.” The document goes on to say that now that they are free they can bring “against their tormentors for violations of their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment Rights.”
Branded as “proud western chauvinists,” the Proud Boys are opposed to “white guilt” and “political correctness.” According to The Anti-Defamation League they embrace anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and anti-LGBTQ+ ideologies. The Justice Department has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
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The infamous and ongoing Sean “Diddy” Combs trial just had a dramatic moment. The judge presiding over the racketeering and sex trafficking case against Mr. Combs warned the defense that he would have their client removed from court if he kept staring at the jury.
According to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, Diddy was “nodding vigorously” at the jury during witness testimony. Such behavior is apparently a no-no, with the judge noting that it was “absolutely unacceptable” that he had already warned the defense about such behavior, according to various reports.
After being admonished (after the jury had been excused for lunch), Diddy defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said, “it’s not going to happen again.”
Telling a multimillionaire what not do, even if his freedom depends on it? Good luck with that. The alleged interaction with the jury occurred during the testimony of Bryana Bongolan, who claims that Diddy dangled her over a balcony back in 2016.
According to NBC News, a court artist confirmed what the judge observed.
Courtroom artist Jane Rosenberg, who has had her eyes and binoculars on Combs for over a month, told NBC News that she has seen him making facial expressions both affirmatively and negatively depending on the testimony, and she has seen him attempting to interact with various members of the jury since the beginning of the trial.
The judge was also clear that if the behaviour does not change, he will remove Diddy from the courtroom for the rest of the trial.
Diddy’s trial is only in its third week and is schedule to last about two months.
See more reactions to this latest development in the comments.
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