Work B*tch Part 2: The Turnkey to the Rebirth of Las Vegas
Justice for Britney Spears is a weed and seed operation for Sin City
The 2013 track she uses to open every night of her trendsetting Las Vegas residency says volumes about her current career motto — its repeated refrain echoing through Planet Hollywood’s Axis Theater:
“Now get to work, bitch.”
Variety, August 28, 20141
On November 5, 2014, Britney Spears was given the Key to the Las Vegas Strip, and ‘Britney Day’ was declared by the Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolek. It was not without drama, though. Originally, the Mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, was supposed to present Britney the key, but apparently Caesars Entertainment felt pressured to disinvite the Mayor and invite Sisolek instead.2 Sure, this is fluffy pageantry, but a seemingly silly power struggle makes someone wonder:
“Who is really running Las Vegas?”
Everyone Gets a Piece of the Britney Pie
By 2014, less than a year after it launched, Britney’s Piece of Me (PoM) Las Vegas residency was a money-making machine. Everyone involved in this project hit the jackpot. PoM expedited the Hollywood ascent of power players like her business manager Lou Taylor of Tri Star Sports and Entertainment and her agent Jeff Azoff at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Larry Rudolph was able to solidify his position as a superstar manager at Live Nation.
As for her Jamie Spears, his lawyers filed an ex-parte/emergency motion to give him a share of PoM’s earnings. Jamie was approved to receive 1.5% of the gross revenues from her performances and merchandise, in addition to the $16,000/month he was already receiving as her co-conservator.3 His lawyer made the following argument as to why he deserved a substantial increase in compensation:
"Until the Petition is granted, Mr. Spears will be continuing to expend extraordinary time and effort in the production of Ms. Spears performance-related activities without additional compensation. He has already done so for more than six months and further delay would be a continuing unfairness to him," Spears legal ace Geraldine Wyle said in a sworn declaration.
- Radar Online, May 2, 20144
There are no comparable metrics for what percent of the gross a conservator should make from their pop star conservatee’s residency, as this is a highly unusual arrangement. The industry standard is to pay managers and agents 10% of your income and 5% to their business manager.5 Not to mention the payouts to other professionals like stylists or publicists… or Britney’s case: all the lawyers involved in the conservatorship.
Industry outsiders may not understand the job roles on a celebrity’s team, so please allow Lou Taylor to illuminate you:6
All-In For A Show
On the eve of the launch of PoM, there were conversations in the media about whether Britney was being overpaid for her residency. Reportedly, her contract was worth $30 million over two years and 100 shows. However, the focus should be on Britney as an attraction to draws in visitors to spend much more money on other goods and services, including gambling, hotel rooms, merchandise, drinks, and more.7
Closely following the announcement of her first 100 shows, Britney called in to The TJ Show in Boston. The disc jockey asked Britney if she’s overwhelmed by the sheer number of shows.8 This was her response:
Britney says she kinda liked performing and then swiftly corrects herself.9 This quote foreshadows everything we now know about the extreme pressure she faced to keep working. But another statement Britney made was about how she had toned down the original music video for “Work Bitch” because she felt she was pushed to be too sexual. Her team immediately pushed back on Britney’s statement, emphasizing that she was in complete control of her career.
Britney’s father and long-term manager Larry Rudolph denied that the singer was made to film scenes she did not feel comfortable with.
They told TMZ: “Britney is never pressured into anything. She reviews all creative and for her ‘Work B***c’ video she discussed toning down some parts in finding a balance of sexy and being a mom.”
Larry Rudolph is not often covered in the media, but he was a key partner in Britney, Inc. and worked closely with Jamie Spears on every business bet along the way. This clip from the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino is a useful illustration of the power hierarchy that ran the business Britney’s conservatorship.
Big Business Moves to Britney’s Beat
There could easily have been billions of dollars invested into Las Vegas because power brokers knew Britney Spears was on lock. Money poured into Vegas immediately proceeding PoM’s launch, including renovations to the Planet Hollywood theater where she would perform. The Las-Vegas Review-Journal reassured the public that “no dead mobsters were excavated” during the theater renovation.10 There certainly were very much alive mobsters running the show.
The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino were also renovated as part of a $580 million refinancing deal by its owners Tristar Capital and RFR Holding, LLC.11 An odd coincidence is the opening of the Tristar Sports Memorabilia store in the Miracle Mile Shops in May 2012.12 It really makes me wonder if “Tri Star” is the original name of the goddess of greed or something.
The biggest corporate players in PoM were Live Nation-Ticketmaster and Caesars Entertainment. I’m going to spare Caesars the limelight for now, but rest assured they will get their write-up very soon.
Live Nation Launches Maverick
In October 2014, Maverick was launched by Madonna’s manager, Guy Oseary. It was billed as “music’s biggest most fiercely protected secret of the year, in which he’s rallying eight other top managers to partner with Live Nation and potentially reinvent a broken industry.”13 The debut of Maverick was a Billboard cover story with a glossy photo spread of all the principals.14
In 2014, SEC documents filed by Live Nation touted their expanding artist management portfolio as a key part of the company’s growth.
“Increasingly feeding this concerts pipeline is our artist management business. With our repositioning of the business now complete, we have been in a growth mode this year, adding such acts as U2, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears, and are now managing over 250 artists.”15
Despite widespread criticism of Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s merger, it seemed to breeze through its 2010 approval by the Obama Administration. Who is truly representing artists’ interests when one megacorporation controls so many aspects of their careers, and what does that mean for creative freedom and free speech?
There may even be certain acts who are a little suspicious or circumspect about the Live Nation involvement and who would query just how good it is for everything to be consolidated in one silo. Live Nation promote their gigs via their global chain of promoters, sell their tickets via Ticketmaster, facilitate the resale of their tickets via the Get Me In marketplace and now have an interest in their management too. It’s quite something when you write it all down like that and join up the dots because it means a lot of power and influence is vested in one company. - Irish Times, October 29, 201416
Larry Rudolph: Dears In His Reign
Larry Rudolph’s profile in the entertainment industry rose with the launch of PoM. Larry Rudolph Management and his Reigndeer Entertainment had become part of Live Nation a few years prior. In 2014, they rapidly increased their capital investment in his career, and according to business records, they incorporated both Reigndeer Investments LLC in Delaware and Reigndeer Select LLC in Nevada.
The facts in this article point to a sophisticated level of collusion between industry power brokers to monetize Britney’s conservatorship. Certainly, Live Nation controlled a huge portion of Britney’s career, but she was also controlled by the broader cartel that runs the entire music industry.
Cartel (noun): an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.
Syndicate (noun): a group of individuals or organizations combined to promote some common interest.
Larry Rudolph’s own words indicate how artist managers from outside of Live Nation are part of a de facto cooperative. It is this level of informal and anti-competitive collusion that obscures the true danger of hyper-consolidated power in the music industry.
“We’re now much more helpful with each other, which is changing the entire landscape. We’ve gone back to a 1950s mentality, when everybody in the country was helping each other out. We as managers are consulting each other as friends and colleagues, not competitors. If Irving [Azoff] needs something for one of his artists, we’re there for him. Same thing with Scooter [Braun]. Even though we may be part of different consortiums, I don’t see them as playing for a different team. We just happen to have our own little group.”17
- Larry Rudolph, Billboard. October 17, 2014
Larry Rudolph had been an integral part of Britney’s team since the beginning of her career, first as her lawyer and then as her manager. A mere two weeks after Britney’s June 2021 earthshaking testimony, Larry Rudolph resigned as Britney’s manager.18 Shortly thereafter, Britney was finally able to hire an attorney of her choosing after 13 years of being denied her right to representation.19
Whatever Larry Rudolph’s potential involvement in Britney’s abusive conservatorship, it has not impacted his career. Larry Rudolph was given a whole new company under Live Nation called 724 Management, which was oddly announced a month before Britney’s conservatorship ended on November 12, 2021.2021
Last year, Larry Rudolph and Live Nation put together Erika Girardi’s (stage name Erika Jayne) Vegas residency. A few years ago, Erika Girardi filed for divorce from the disgraced power lawyer Tom Girardi. Tom Girardi is currently bound up in a series of scandals, including the exposure of decades-long corruption in the California Bar. It is unclear how involved Erika Girardi was i nom Girardi’s alleged crimes.
The Girardis are deeply embedded into every component of California’s power network. Others bound up in the Girardis’ various scandals include the former head of the FBI office in Los Angeles, as well as the Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service in Los Angeles. The Girardis donated millions to high-profile politicians, while Erika’s son is a member of the LAPD.
In the mid-2010s, Erika Girardi began using Britney’s costume designer Marco Marco and joined the cast of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH). Given Britney, Inc.’s proximity to the Girardis and RHOBH, one may wonder if they currently have favor-friendly connections to any government officials.
TPG Capital’s Investments in CAA
The private equity firm TPG Capital and its founder David Bonderman played a leading role in Britney’s Vegas residency. In 2008, TPG acquired Caesars Entertainment along with the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Caesars [formerly Harrah’s] then acquired Planet Hollywood in 2010.22 By 2011, TPG had also bought a 49% interest in the deeply indebted Palms Casino. This deal left Jamie Spears and Larry Rudolph’s former business partners, the Maloofs, with only 2% ownership.23
After PoM was a proven success, TPG acquired a controlling stake in Britney’s talent agency CAA.
“CAA and private equity firm TPG have agreed to a deal that raises the latter’s stake in the Hollywood agency from a 35% minority to 53% majority shareholder stake. TPG is paying around $225 million in equity for that stake, said an individual with knowledge of the transaction. There is also a plan to borrow an undisclosed amount of debt as part of a transaction that will allow the agency to continue growing. It is also likely that CAA will also spread some of the proceeds around to its most valuable performers.
The prospect of TPG doubling down on CAA first cropped up last week. It is a significant development, marking the first time that agency is not majority-owned by its operating principals.” - Deadline, October 20, 2014
Thus, TPG was intimately involved with Britney's career by controlling a significant portion of both her talent agency and venue. This means the majority of her career is synergistically controlled by Caesars, CAA, and Live Nation.
The role of David Bonderman, a founding partner of TPG, will be further detailed when I discuss Caesars Entertainment’s role in PoM. Just know that Irving Azoff loves working with uncool billionaires to fund his grand plans that require significant capital investment. These billionaires are often wooed by their proximity to rock stars.
How else would Bonderman be on the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Or MSG’s James Dolan be the opening act for the Eagles?
“David is the ultimate rock-and-roll fanatic, serving on the board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and having built personal relationships with some of the 20th century’s most iconic artists. He’s been a “Burning Man” regular for years.”
- Fortune, November 10, 202024
Bonderman and TPG continued to work with Irving Azoff through his company the Oak View Group, and together they opened the Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena in 2021. The Arena is home to the NHL’s Kraken and everytime a goal is scored, Nirvana’s “Lithium” comes through the loudspeakers.
Courtney always says it best - these guys are #TOTALFUCKINGCRIMINALS!
CAA’s Jeff Azoff Makes His Bones
CAA was a central player in planning and profiteering from Britney’s PoM residency. In 2013, Britney signed with CAA’s managing partner Rob Light, as well as Irving Azoff’s son, Jeff Azoff. Irving Azoff and Rob Light’s business relationship stretches back decades25 - this is yet another data point that indicates Irving Azoff’s involvement in PoM.
PoM’s success was used by Jeff Azoff to craft the perception that he had emerged from his father’s shadow and became an industry player in his own right. By 2014, Jeff Azoff was honored as one of Billboard’s “40 under 40: Agent Power Players”.
“Jeffrey Azoff grew up in a household where huge deals went down at the breakfast table — his father is industry legend Irving Azoff — but he stands on his own as a critical player on the team that put together Britney Spears’ Las Vegas residency (125,000 tickets sold since December 2013, per Azoff).” - Billboard, September 12, 2014
Jeff Azoff made Billboard’s “40 Under 40” list again in 2015, and he was still mentioning Britney as his client.
By 2017, Jeff Azoff graduated to the big boy’s list - coming in at #99 of Billboard’s Power 100 list.26 He no longer mentioned working with Britney, but their professional relationship had likely continued, as he was thanked in the liner notes of her 2020 album Glory.
In 2018, Jeff Azoff moved up to #45 on the Power 100 with his partner Brandon Creed. They founded Full Stop Management in 2017 and, within a year, merged it with Irving Azoff’s company.27 The Azoffs ultimately inhabited Billboard’s Power 100 list together - coming in at #4 in 2019, #7 in 2023, and #6 in 2024.
There is no other music industry dynasty that wields as much influence in as many sectors of the business as Irving and Jeffrey Azoff.
“Our goal at The Azoff Company has always been to positively disrupt the music business for both artists and fans,” Jeffrey says. “We are incredibly proud that each one of our companies is fulfilling that mission and are deeply grateful to all of the amazing artists and partners who are a part of our family.”- Billboard, 2024
A Harry Styles Interlude
When Jeff Azoff launched Full Stop Management, his flagship artist was Harry Styles, who was launching his solo career after departing the boy band One Direction. Many of Harry’s fans have raised concerns that Jeff Azoff tightly controls Harry’s life and career. Some of these fans are motivated to #FreeHarry, believing he is forced to hide his sexual orientation.
Around May 2022, some Harry Styles fans discovered my research on Jeff Azoff and Britney. My work gained significantly more traction in Harry’s fandom compared to within the #FreeBritney movement.
One day, Lady Gaga’s Twitter account liked a tweet regarding the relationship between Harry Styles, Britney, and Jeff Azoff, which was based on my research. Some dismissed this tweet “like” as an accident and argued “Harry is gay” conspiracy theorists are reading too deeply into its meaning.
However, Lady Gaga did work with Larry Rudolph at the beginning of her career. Harry Styles and Lady Gaga thus had a closer proximity to Britney than many other celebrities. I will forever wonder who in Hollywood knew what about Britney's conservatorship. One might wonder:
“What would have been the consequences if they had spoken out earlier for Britney’s freedom?”
Lou Taylor Goes Mainstream Hollywood
Lou Taylor was Britney's business manager, installed shortly after the initiation of the conservatorship. I have already completed numerous investigative articles about her backstory and involvement with Britney, Inc., which are freely available on my Substack. In this section, I am merely highlighting some key points regarding the correlation of Lou Taylor’s ascension in Hollywood and the launch and ultimate success of PoM.
My father had struck up a very close friendship with Louise “Lou” Taylor, who he worshiped. She was front and center during the implementation of the conservatorship that would later allow them to control and take over my career. Lou, who had just started a new company called Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, was directly involved in calling the shots right before the conservatorship. At the time, [Lou] had few real clients. She basically used my name and hard work to build her company. - Britney Spears in The Woman In Me
In the industry, Lou Taylor cultivated a reputation for revitalizing Las Vegas residencies, and soon thereafter she began working with plenty of other A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashians. At the same time, Lou Taylor began winning entertainment industry awards, most of which originated from publications owned by Penske Media, such as the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Billboard. These awards further upgraded her profile in Hollywood.
When Lou Taylor discusses her own legacy on the resurgence of Vegas residencies, she ostensibly defers to Britney as the genesis of this phenomenon. Yet, people almost always spoke for Britney during the conservatorship. Given everything we now know, this 2014 quote from Lou Taylor sure as hell sounds like she is a puppeteer.28
“Britney has built her team more like that of a corporate structure,” says Taylor. “I think Britney truly conceives of herself as a corporate executive officer, and the organic desire she has for any sort of brand ideas or sponsorship, show ideas, music ideas, all really start at the top with her. I think that’s probably the thing that most people don’t understand about how she operates.” - Lou Taylor, August 28, 2014
Lou Taylor built her business off Britney’s back, yet she was only able to exponentially scale her business due to the success of PoM. There are strong indications of significant capital investment into Tri Star right when the Vegas show was launching. It feels like the launch of PoM was Lou Taylor’s debutante ball.
Just look at Tri Star’s amateurish website from July 2010:
In the lead-up to the December 2013 launch of PoM, Tri Star significantly upgraded the physical location of both their Nashville and Los Angeles offices.
Tri Star suddenly had the money to relocate to Nashville’s Music Row, which is some of the most preeminent real estate in the entire U.S. music industry. Tri Star closed the deal in August 2013 and moved into their newly remodeled building in February 2014.29
Additionally, Tri Star was able to make the high-profile hire of Wayne Milligan, formerly of Big Machine Records. They even issued a press release announcing the new hire, indicating this was a significant acquisition for TriStar.
“Wayne brings with him extensive knowledge of music industry administration and will contribute a wide range of experience in publishing, songwriter services, royalty processing/compliance auditing and more.” - Lou Taylor, July 17, 201330
According to Milligan’s LinkedIn, he “established [Tri Star’s] Special Services & Royalty Compliance department, hired, trained and managed staff of 10 between company’s two offices in Los Angeles and Nashville.”
Why did Tri Star create a whole new lucrative arm of their business shortly before the launch of PoM?
Despite Tri Star big moves in the second half of 2013, they appear to have not had a functional website for a year. This seems odd… unless they were wholly unconcerned with recruiting new clients while they focused on the in-house jackpot they had already acquired: Britney Spears.
PoM would take Tri Star to the top, and they knew that if that happened, they could cash-in with plenty more A-list clients.
Why Is Lou Taylor Still Protected by the Industry?
Many in the Britney fandom cannot fathom why celebrities still work with Lou Taylor, given the volume of incriminating evidence that has been submitted to the court.
What is the most logical explanation?
In my view, it is obvious Lou Taylor was welcomed into the Hollywood elite due to her successful collaboration with industry titans on PoM. Lou Taylor has attributed much of her success to having excellent mentors, including the CEO of Live Nation, Michael Rapino, and Irving Azoff.
If Lou Taylor goes down for her complicity in Britney’s conservatorship, what does that mean for the big players?
Everything’s fine!
The Mutual Clients of Lou Taylor and Irving Azoff
Lou Taylor exponentially grew her client list to include many of the same celebrities as Irving and Jeff Azoff.
This is not an exhaustive list:
Meghan Trainor
The Prince estate
Steven Tyler/Aerosmith
Sources: Blabbermouth, Billboard
Travis Scott
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Billboard
Florida Georgia Line
Gwen Stefani
Sources: Billboard, Mells Lane, LLC (2016 California business records)
Even many of the Kardashian/Jenners began working with Lou Taylor. The Kardashians are lifelong family friends with the Azoffs. This relationship stretches all the way back to the 1980s when Irving Azoff hired Robert Kardashian to be the President of Radio Syndication at MCA Records.
Lou Taylor and Live Nation
Lou Taylor has a strong working relationship with the head of Live Nation, Michael Rapino. It seems unusual, as a Hollywood outsider, that a business manager would have such a close relationship with one of the most powerful executives in the entertainment industry.
In a 2018 Positive University podcast episode, Lou Taylor described how Michael Rapino has always treated her as an equal.31 I wonder if it’s because Lou Taylor was always the go-between the industry and Jamie Spears.
Lou Taylor and Live Nation have other mutual interests beyond shared clients. For example, they are co-defendants in several civil lawsuits related to the November 2021 tragedy at the Astroworld Festival. Travis Scott headlined the festival, and a crowd crush resulted in 10 deaths and thousands of injuries. Lou Taylor is involved in the Astroworld litigation due to her work with Travis Scott’s businesses, including Cactus Jack Security LLC.
Lou Taylor has suspiciously maintained her position in the Hollywood elite. Femme It Forward, a Live Nation backed business for women in the industry, made Lou Taylor a partner in 2020. Last year she also served as a Femme It Forward mentor to other female professionals.
It is baffling that the Black Music Action Coalition, who fights systemic racism in the music industry, would allow Lou Taylor to be a part of their Executive Leadership Council. However, this makes sense if you consider that the organization was spearheaded by Irving Azoff.32 All these data points indicate that Lou Taylor is part of a protection racket administered by the most powerful people in the music industry.
Tri Star issued a press release on June 8, 2021, boasting about a $70,000 scholarship program they launched for students at Spelman College.33 This sounds like a generous scholarship until you consider the millions Tri Star made off Britney’s forced labor.
The Hollywood Reporter covered the Tri Star scholarship on June 23, 2001 - two weeks after their press release. Coincidentally, this is the exact same day as Britney Spears’ testimony shocked the world. I wonder if this was a calculated move to manipulate internet search results for Lou Taylor and Tri Star that day.
When I questioned the Hollywood Reporter and Black Music Action Coalition’s willingness to work with predators, they both blocked me on Twitter.
Vegas Reborn: The Legacy of Piece of Me
“It’s important to learn to say no. With tours and all of that stuff, there are so many aspects that go into it, it’s easy to have so many people around you saying, ‘oh yes, yes, you can afford this, you can afford this,’ and then all of the sudden you’ve spent $20 million on your stage and you’re like, ‘where’s my money?’ You have to make sure that you’re on top of things and know where the money’s going.” - Britney Spears, Variety, August 28, 2014
It has been 10 Years since the successful launch of Britney's PoM Vegas residency. Britney performed 248 shows and sold almost a million tickets during her four years in Vegas.
When Britney Spears’ first two-year contract was up, she said she was torn about continuing her show.34 A few weeks later, on September 9, 2015, her contract was renewed for two more years.35
Britney’s singular impact on the rebirth of Las Vegas is undisputed in the industry.
"Britney was on our radar for some time as a perfect artist to shift the paradigm for Las Vegas residencies to a new generation given her wide and devoted fanbase, music catalogue spanning over 15 years and ability to put on an incredible show," he told me. "We engaged with her team early on to develop the vision of this concept to be prepared when she was ready to pursue it. Once the timing was right, we all worked swiftly to get ready for what ended up being one of the most important milestones in music history."
- Jason Gastwirth, senior vice president of marketing and entertainment at Caesars Entertainment
It looks like Britney: Piece of Me was a long time coming, and all part of a plan to rebrand the Vegas residency as something that may, in future, attract artists at the peak of their careers.
- Vice, May 18, 201736
Britney’s revival of the Vegas residency was the blueprint for today’s endless stream of top-tier talent parking their concerts in Sin City.
Career Maker, Money Taker
Larry Rudolph, Lou Taylor, and Jeff Azoff are all on the same page regarding their plan to install Britney to Vegas. Vegas had been for “heritage acts” with deep catalogs but without current hits on the radio and with older fanbases. Britney was different because she was a mid-career pop star who could still get new singles on radio and rank on the music charts.
In this podcast clip, it sounds like Lou Taylor is both acknowledging that Vegas was Larry Rudolph’s idea and he was calling the shots in Britney’s career:
"So Larry’s whole thought process was, you know, agreeing to take Britney… errr participate in taking Britney into Vegas…" - This Nashville Life, January 21, 2020 37
Larry Rudolph has maintained that he was unaffiliated with the machinations of the conservatorship. Yet, listen to this interview clip of Larry Rudolph on Pauly Shore’s Interested podcast.38 How closely does this statement align with what Lou Taylor said in her interview clip? While Lou Taylor says it was Larry Rudolph’s idea to bring Britney to Vegas, he contradicts her by saying it was Britney’s idea.
Jeff Azoff is a central figure in Britney’s career, but he is largely unknown in her fandom. Britney’s residency became Jeff Azoff’s calling card, yet the facts indicate he likely was just a proxy of his mastermind daddy, Irving Azoff.39
In Britney’s 2023, memoir she briefly mentions why she decided to go along with Larry Rudolph’s plan to do a Vegas residency.
After The X Factor, my manager brought me the offer to perform as part of a Las Vegas residency. I thought, Why not?
My heart wasn't in recording music anymore.
I wasn't passionately driven, like how are used to be.
I had no more fire to bring.
I was so over it.
I had two kids.
I had a breakdown.
My parents had taken over my career.
What was I going to do at this point, just go home?
So I went along with it.
I went to Vegas the way everyone goes to Vegas – hoping to win.
- Britney Spears, The Woman In Me
Yet, I believe Larry had dreamed of Britney doing a Vegas residency for years before tangible plans were made. The X Factor had its season finale on December 20, 2012 and it would be almost exactly a year later that her residency premiered. This is a quick turnaround. It is unclear how much Britney was informed or participated in the huge deals made in the years prior to PoM’s launch.
Utilitarian Advocacy Efforts
The Fight Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster
A few years ago, I watched helplessly as Britney’s conservatorship case moved at a sloth’s pace in the Los Angeles Probate Court. My research makes clear the conservatorship was orchestrated and maintained by a handful of power players, corporations, and private equity firms. I have been trying to shine the spotlight of culpability on these people and entities for years. Thus far, my work has had minimal impact on the broader discourse of #JusticeForBritney.
Live Nation’s monetization of Britney’s conservatorship is just one of the most egregious examples of how they abuse their monopoly power. I implore music fans and artists around the world to incorporate Britney’s case into how they understand the perpetuation of harm by Live Nation’s stranglehold over the music industry. As one of the founders of the #TakeDownTicketmaster movement, I know it will take all fans to unite to defeat this cyclops!
There are two ongoing federal investigations into Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Senate Committee on Permanent Investigations are separately looking at whether Live Nation uses anticompetitive agreements with artists and venues.40 Additionally, investors in Live Nation have also filed lawsuits alleging that they were not made aware of potential antitrust violations that could harm their investments in the company.41
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced last fall they had issued a subpoena to Live Nation.42 The Senate Committee has complained that Live Nation was not cooperating with their investigation. Similarly, leaks from DOJ investigation have indicated that Live Nation is not fully cooperating with the agency’s requests either.43
What does it mean for creative freedom and free expression if one megacorporation controls the overwhelming majority of the live event industry?
In January 2024, I went with some Swifties to Capitol Hill to advocate for laws that eliminate the exploitation of fans by the ticketing industry.44 Britney’s case is rarely interpreted as a part of the broader fight against Ticketmaster. Yet, I tried to convey to congressional staffers that Britney Spears’ contract with Live Nation is likely a bellwether case to investigate exploitative contracts in the music industry.
Coming soon… Work B*tch Part 3: Caesars Entertainment
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Newly Formed BMAC Challenges Biz To End Racism. Hits Daily Double. June 22, 2020.
Lou Taylor's Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group Award $70k For Finish Line Scholarship at Spelman College. PR Newswire. June 8, 2021.
Exclusive! Britney Spears Confirms She May Be Leaving Las Vegas: ''I'm Kind of Torn Right Now". E! News. August 16, 2015.
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